


Perspective

by PanderrynRose



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Alcohol, Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Anal Sex, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Domestic Fluff, Don't copy to another site, Drunkenness, Gay Sex, How Do I Tag, Hurt/Comfort, I'm Bad At Tagging, M/M, Oral Sex, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pacifist Best Ending (Detroit: Become Human), Pre-Pacifist Best Ending (Detroit: Become Human), Suicidal Thoughts, Suicide Attempt, playing fast and loose with cannon, reverse au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-06
Updated: 2019-03-28
Packaged: 2019-11-12 19:00:33
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 12
Words: 33,427
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18016565
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PanderrynRose/pseuds/PanderrynRose
Summary: The Android revolution is out in full force, and everyone at the DPD can feel it slamming down on them. For GV200, or 'Gavin', he knows that the situation is about to escalate, and it won't be good for him, or his partner Nines. As the situation grows more and more dire, Gavin has to figure out a way to get out safely. He recruits the other androids at the DPD, pulling them together for an insane scheme. Of course, not everything goes to plan and this change in plans shifts perspectives as Gavin struggles to figure out how to handle them.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Sooooo.....this is going to be a huge mess. I haven't edited this oen as much, and it will show. Please, tell me if I made a mistake somewhere, and realize that this plot might not be as consistent as Heart and Hands was. Please forgive me, I swear it's because I've written a lot of this while either stressed or sick.

The night had been rough on everyone, and everyone was considering just how much their jobs were worth.  

Gavin could read the situation—and it was going down fast. Being a police android wasn’t necessary to figure that shit out when footage of his ‘race’ being rounded up and put into small camps was being presented on every major new network available as a net positive for society. _Fuck me, do humans ever learn?_ They cut back and forth between the protest—peaceful—and the androids standing as they waited for their deaths.

_Shit. I need to get out of here. We all do._ Glancing around the bullpen, Gavin found the other androids there: HK800 or ‘Hank’ who was standing by his Connor’s desk; TN200 or ‘Tina’, who was waiting for orders closer to the front of the room; CR500 or ‘Chris’ who was standing by the front entrance;  and FW400 or ‘Fowler’ who was in Captain Stern’s office, filing paperwork. While these weren’t all of the androids that worked at the DPD, these were the specialized members of the android DPD—Tin and Chris were beat cops whereas he and Hank were detective prototypes. Fowler acted as assistant to the captain, and as a partner for her when necessary.  And, from watching their nervous behavior as they glanced at the TVS the station had— he knew they were just as deviant as he was.

Reaching out mentally, Gavin asked “Is everyone else just as freaked out as I am?”  
Hank glanced over. “About what?”  
“OK, so I’m not gonna include you in this conversation. Got it.” Gavin said, and started to cut him off when Hank glanced over.

“You mean what’s going on? You idiot. Who isn’t?” Hank’s voice echoed in his head.

“I agree with Hank. I think we’re all worried. What about it?” Tina asked, not looking up from where she sat, next to her partner.

“How long until we’re thrown under the bus? We need to plan to get out of here.” Gavin said, and felt a mix of agreeance, anger, sadness and a slew of other smaller amounts of emotion.

“I agree.” Chris looked up, and smiled at Gavin. “We need to get out of here. What do you propose?”  
“Hell, I don’t know. That’s why I’m asking.” Gavin said, flipping through case files in order to look like he was working.

“You should trust your partner, Gav. Nines won’t let anything happen to you.” Hank’s voice had an edge to it.

_I really, really, really want to be snarky here. But this isn’t the time._ “I don’t know that he’ll be able to do anything if they come for us.” Looking over, Gavin noted that Hank was sitting next to Connor. “And I doubt Connor will be able to do anything for you, either. IT’s not that they’ll give us up, it’s that they’ll have no choice. Their jobs or us? It’s their jobs. It has to be.”

Hank seemed taken aback by Gavin’s calm. “What the hell? Are you really that worried that you passed up a joke about me and Con? No crack about the ‘lost little duckling detective finding his android dad’?”  
“Desperate times, Hank. We need to plan. Or, if you don’t want any part of this, I’ll take you out of the conversation loop.” Gavin said, sighing and pressed his head against his desk.

“Sometimes I swear that you’re not actually an android.” Nine’s voice caused him to jump. “Com’on. You’re fine.”

Gavin picked his head up and glared at Nines. “Yes, master.”

“Come on, Gavin. Focusing on that shit won’t make you feel any better. Relax. You’ll be fine.” Nines smiled. “Trust me.”

Gavin sighed, smiled back to reassure Nines. “OK, OK.”

As soon as Nines glanced down, Gavin dropped the smile and closed his eyes.

“We need to have a plan. Likely, it’s going to involve us blending in and getting out. Anyone with me?”  
“I am.” Tina answered.

“If shit does go completely sideways, I am.” Hank grumbled. “But I don’t think it will.”  
“Hank, shit’s already gone sideways.” Chris looked over, nodded. “I’m with you, GV.”

Fowler spoke up for the first time. “I agree with Gavin. Better to have a plan and not need it than to need a plan and not have it. We should meet somewhere and work this out.”  
“What about the other androids in the building? The receptionists and such?” Tina asked, calm façade flickering as she ran her hand around her wrist.

“We’ll contact them. If they put up a “No talking during work’ warning, we’ll assume they’re machines.” Gavin said, scanning a document over and over again, as if looking for something to reconstruct.

“Can we really leave anyone here? Even they’re a ‘machine?” Chris asked.

“I hate to say it, but I think we need to worry about those of us who are sentient first.” Gavin winced at the glares thrown his way. “I know, it’s awful to say, but…. I don’t know how we’d get them to violate their programming. And it would put the rest of us in danger if we try. Could mean we all die instead of just a few of us.”

Tina nodded, and walked over to Gavin. Speaking verbally, she asked “Hey, 200. I have something I could use help with. Do you mind?”

Confused, Gavin glanced at Nines, who shrugged. “If you need him, TNT, go right ahead.”

“Thank you, detective.” Tina smiled, but not a genuine one. Pulling Gavin to his feet, she pulled him toward storage.

“What are we doing, Tina?” Gavin asked, under his breath.

“We’re gonna need normal people clothes to wear under our DPD jackets if we want to pull this off. We’ll also need to get new jackets.” Pulling hers off, Tina pointed to her designation. “It’s kind of a huge give away. And I have an idea for those ‘machines’ and how get them out.”  
“I’m all ears. Should we call in all the others for this?” Gavin asked, and then shook his head. “Dumb question.  No. If we do, it’ll look suspiciously like an escape group, right?”

“Exactly.” Tina smiled. “Who knew, the detective android is smarter than he looks!”

Gavin sighed. “Where are we going to get human clothes?”

“Easy. They stock DPD T-shirts and other clothing in storage. I’ve been told to grab one once in awhile when a perp ruined my clothes.” Tina smiled. “What, did you think we were gonna go into the evidence archives and pull clothes from there?”  
“I mean, it’s not an awful idea. I feel like if we put on all DPD stuff that it’ll look too suspicious. Too much like we’re trying to hide using our DPD stuff. And if it gets out that DPD androids left en-masse, it would make us easy to spot.” Gavin said, glancing over to the archives. “We should only take from cold cases—and I mean, frigid center of the north pole cold cases—but that would help us blend better.”  
Tina’s expression was grossed out. “EWW! That means clothing victims were wearing when they were killed—or raped! Or other things. That’s so nasty. Plus, it’s been sitting in storage. It’s probably mildewy.”

“Tina, it’s a pressurized and temperature controlled. Nothing will be mildewed. If anything, the bodily fluids might act as distractions. Like we’ve been attacked that night. And it would offer cover as ‘humans.’ We can point to it and say ‘look, I was attacked. I’m so scared. Is there a safe route away from here? Most humans won’t look past that.”

Tina sighed, and pretended to retch. “I hate you. I hate your idea, but you’re right. Good camouflage.”

“I mean, I’m a detective for my brains.” Gavin smiled. “You get jackets. I’ll start pulling clothes.”

“What’s going on?” Fowler asked, concerned. “Nines is starting to look for you, Gav. Tina, your partner said to say ‘good night’ so you’re alright.”

Tina sighed, and nodded to Gavin. “Thank you for your help.” She said out loud as she heard  Nines round the corner. “I appreciate you helping me find something. I don’t know what happened. Must have damaged something tonight.”  
“No problem.” Gavin verbalized, and walked away. Mentally, he quickly shot back an “I’m sorry I can’t help.”

Tina shook her head. “It’ll be easier for me to call the others down one by one and distribute clothing to them then. You come down last. Nines might get suspicious. Actually, just keep your human distracted. I’ll tell Hank to do the same.”  
Gavin smiled as he followed Nines. “I’ll get to work. Don’t worry.”

Cutting his mental connection, Gavin snickered in the back of his mind. _I’m so glad I don’t have to do that, but jeeze._ Another gunshot on TV broke him out of his joyous second. Another android was dead on the screen, bullet hole in the head dripping blue into the puddle under his or her head. _Fuck._ Gavin felt his stomach roll uneasily.

Freezing, Gavin turned his gaze forcefully  to the floor. “God, can we turn that shit off?”

Nines glanced back, and shook his head. “No. We need to know if we’re gonna get called in.”  
_We?_ Gavin wondered. _Or you? Are you going to be called in to murder us?_

Returning to their desks, Gavin and Nines focused on their case.

Glancing up every once in awhile, Gavin kept track of those coming and going down to the archives.

Hank vanished first, came back with a pair of jeans and a hawiian shirt so hideous that Gavin began to sympathize with the killer tucked under his arm. His LED spun yellow “Gavin, I hope this plan of yours is worth it.Though, I like the shirt.”

Gavin narrowed his eyes. “You have no taste, dude.”  
“Says the man who suggested wearing the clothing of murder victims.” Hank sniped back.

“Touche.” Gavin grumbled. “Look, it’s a last restort, OK?”  
Hank looked over to Gavin, and Gavin could feel the sorrow leaking through. “I know. And you’re right.”  
“What’s up with all of you guys?” Connor piped up. “You’ve been looking to each other for like the past twenty or so minutes. “

“Jus collaborating on something, Connor. Tina found something interesting on her case and wanted a few other opinions. That’s all.” Hank flashed a grin at Connor, charming him. “What, don’t trust me?”

Connor blushed, embarrassed to be called out for doubting his stalwart partner. “With my life, but I still think you’re lying.”

Hank laughed, and shook his head. “I’m hurt.”  
Connor smiled, and returned to his work with an eye roll. “Sure.”

_We need to be way more careful._ “OK, who all is left?” Gavin asked Tina.

“A few more receptionists. I’ve got clothes ready. Gavin, I think if we force stasis on the unaware others, we can smuggle them out in a bus or something. Maybe we can act like we’re taking them to the camps. No one would look at a bunch of androids going to a camp twice right now. Especially with cops taking them there.”  
“Not a bad idea. We should also go make sure to secure a boat or something, to get across the river. Canada has offered sanctuary to those who need it. Thank RA9. We can get across, and be safe. The president of the US said that the matter will not be an international issue, so I don’t think she’ll chase us if we get across.” Gavin grinned. “All we have to do is get there.  
“And if we get across, we can probably help the others.” Tina said, glancing down. “We know that a bunch of androids are fleeing that way.”

“I mean, go big or go home. We can probably break into the camps.” Gavin joked, and heard silence. “Tina, that was a joke. It’s not a good idea.”

“I don’t know. Let’s ask the others. I know that at least Chris have friends who have already been taken to the camps. With our knowledge of police code, the guise of a police uniform—and access to police vehicles—we might be able to do so much more than we planned originally.” Tina said, feeling hopeful.

Gavin felt his gut drop. “You’re suggesting grand theft auto? And a police car, at that!”

“Yep!” Tina chirped. “We’re officers. It’s not grand theft auto.”

“It is when we don’t have permission to take the cars.” Gavin sighed. “Fuck it. What the hell. Talk to the others. We’ll see what happens.”

Focusing back on the case, Gavin did his best to talk through the case. “What do you think, Nines? I feel like I must have missed something.”

Nines sighed and looked up. “Look, I’ve been here for about fourteen hours, I’m tired. If you’re not going to focus on the case, leave me alone to think.”

“Maybe you should head home, get some sleep.” Looking up at the TV, Gavin felt his gut clench. “This isn’t going to end anytime soon.”

“I can’t go home because they’re going to pull….” Nines said, cutting himself off.

Gavin felt his stomach drop out of his body. “They’re going to pull us, aren’t they?”  
Nines looked down, using his shoulder to rub at his ear. “I don’t know.”

_You’re lying. You always look me in the eyes, and you’re trying to cover your ears._ Gavin stood up. “OK. I get it. Goodnight, Nines. I’m going to charge.”

Walking away from Nines, Gavin made his way to the charging station. Reaching out once again to the android group chat, Gavin simply stated what he’d been told. “We don’t have long, they’re coming for us. Everyone meet downstairs near the archives and we’re going to go out the back door. Grab keys for cars if you can. I’m going to grab my clothes, try to charge if possible, and then go grab a bus key. What do we do about forcing stasis on the others?”

“We can make it look like a power outage.” Fowler said, coming up the stairs from getting his new ‘outfit’ as Gavin headed down. Catching Gavin by the arm for a moment, Fowler said “Calm down. If we all mass panic, we’re going to get caught. Gavin, breathe. They’re not here yet. I’ll cause the fuse box to go offline. I’m the one who has clearance to get to it. And the highest ‘android’ on the escape force.”

“OK. I’m calm. Now, did Tina  bring up the other thing?”  Gavin asked, wondering because he hadn’t heard any protest

“What other thing?” Three other voices asked.

“Ho boyo. Tina, your time to explain.” Gavin said, dropping down and plugging in.

Tina explained her plans, and it got mixed responses.

“Wow, Tina. Suicidal much? It’s like asking to be killed.” Hank snapped. “No way. I say we get out while we can. If they’re coming for us, we need to move and move now.”  
“You’re right that we need to move, Hank. You’re right. But I don’t think trying to save as many of us as possible is a bad idea.” Chris sighed.

Fowler silenced the bickering. “I say we put this into a couple of phases. One, we get the hell out of here. It’ll take us a little bit to get this ready. We’ll start in twenty minutes, sooner if we can. So be ready. Next, we steal a few river boats, and have at least one android waiting to pilot them. After that, we have two pairs of androids go to the camps, and pack as many people into the buses as we can. Chris, you and Tina are much more used to driving. You two get key and have the buses ready.  After that, we pull everyone we can on to those boats and get across while the getting is good. Tina, you and Hank work together. Chris, you and Gavin go as a team. I’ll take one of the boats. I’ll ask Kim to take another.”

“Kim, are you going to be able to handle this?”  Gavin asked, worried.

“I deal with all of your erratic asses all the time. This is going to be a vacation.” Kim snapped back. Taking a deep breath, Kin nodded. “I’m fine. I’m just anxious. I’ve been deviant for longer than most of you, and I’ve seen the consequences. I hope this works. However, we should all try to charge for a few moments or to go into low-energy mode before this goes down. We don’t know when we’ll be able to charge again.”

Closing his eyes for a few moments, Gavin did his best to relax as he charged.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, everyone. Please let me know what you think. I know it's not as polished as the last story, so let me know if I miss a few plot threads or something. 
> 
> Thanks.

After about fifteen minutes, Gavin opened his DPD email. Speaking, he dictated the email with as much care as he could.

“Nines…. I don’t know what to say. I guess… thank you. Asshole. Thank you for being my partner. And for being my friend. I will miss the time we spent together, and your cats. Mostly your cats, now that I think about it.

Now, you may be wondering what I’m talking about…what am I saying? You’ll know by the time you get this.

Anyway, we’re leaving. All of us androids. We’re not safe here. We’re going to risk our lives and pull as many of our kind out of those damn camps as humanly possible. Because the biggest atrocity we could do right now is to do nothing.

So, anyway, if this goes south and I end up with a bullet in my head, I just want you to know that I care about you. And I want you to do the best you can be. Because I believe you to be one of the best officers on the job.”

Sighing, Gavin contemplated if he wanted to put the next part in.

“I never told you, Nines, but…well, I love you. Now, I know you think I’m a…what’s the word? Oh, yeah, manwhore. You joke about it all the time. Truth is, I’m really not. Nines, I’m not interested in anyone until I know I can trust them. And you know how many people I trust? You. Maybe Hank and Connor, but you first and foremost. So yeah, if I survive this, I hope we can still…be partners if nothing else.

Also, your theory about that one girl is completely off. I’d look at the murder weapon again. I think there was another blood sample on it, but I didn’t get time with it because you dragged us back here.”

Scheduling the message to leave at noon the next day, Gavin felt his stomach kick. They were going to do it. They were going to run.

Gavin attached the message and left it to await its departure. Standing, he unplugged and checked his battery.  
_95%. Ok. That’s fantastic._

Walking downstairs, Gavin grabbed his new outfit from Tina, walking into the back bathroom where he shucked his uniform and replaced it with the jeans, black t-shirt and leather jacket before throwing his new DPD jacket over the top.

Checking back in with the others, he asked “We ready to move?”  
Fowler sighed. “As ready as we’re going to be. Gavin, you and Tina are going to catch some of the androids as they fall. Given that they’re plugged into the system when they’re working the front desk, when the power surges it should cause some confusion. When that happens, force stasis on anyone who is still seated. Grab them and pull them out front where buses will be waiting.  Hank, Chris, you two drive. You have ten minutes to get them ready. Everyone, be careful, and be safe.”  
Gavin felt the collective anxiety build in the group chat connection. “Well, hey, anyone up for a quickie? If we’re gonna die….”  
“Shut up, 200.” About twelve voices snapped, and then a few chuckled. The tension dropped a bit.

“Here we go.” Gavin whispered verbally to himself, five minutes before the start time and pressed a hand to his stomach as he walked up front.

Nines was still slumped over at his desk, apparently having fallen asleep. He shivered as Gavin walked by, and Gavin sighed.

Turning back to his partner—his best friend, if he was honest—Gavin draped Nine’s jacket over him before walking out to the reception.

Looking over the receptionists desk area, Gavin noted seven receptionists still sitting. Tina stood at the other end of the desk, apparently chatting with one of the aware receptionists.

Gavin heard the tick of the countdown clock. “Twenty.”  
“Nineteen.” Fowler.

“Eighteen.” Hank.

“Seventeen.” Tina.

“Sixteen.” Chris.

“Fifteen.” Kim.

“Fourteen.” “Thirteen.” “Twelve.” “Eleven.” Several receptionists counted down.

The last ten seconds went by in silence.

Suddenly, the lights when out, and the consoles that the receptionists were linked into flashed. Several of the machines dropped back, confused.

Grabbing the nearest one, Gavin forced stasis, making it so he wouldn’t awake until the next day.  “One!” Grabbing the next one, Gavin repeated the process, throwing them over his shoulders.  
Hauling ass outside, Gavin listened as the chaos in the DPD rang out. Climbing onto Chris’s bus, Gavin dropped the two unconscious people onto the bus seat before walking back out to grab two more people from Fowler, who’d apparently pulled his LED. “I’ve got them, go get the boat. Be safe.”

Fowler nodded. “You, too.” He broke off, running towards the location of the boats.

Kim was out after Fowler a moment later, and Tina loaded her charges onto the bus. Several of the other androids rushed out, each climbing onto whichever bus they felt was closest.

“Is that everyone?” Gavin asked, looking toward the building as the light started to come back on.

“Yes. Get to stepping.” Tina called over the link, as Hank started their bus and dove in the direction of the camp closest to the DPD. “Best of luck. Be safe!”

“Same to you.” Gavin said, cutting the connection. Sitting down for a moment, Gavin removed his LED, placing it in his pocket. “Chris, you’d best remove your LED, too.”

“Could you do it while I drive? I don’t want to waste any time.” Chris glanced over, smiled at Gavin. “I trust you.”  
“A terrible decision, really.” Gavin deadpanned, and quickly pulled his LED off.

Glancing back onto the bus, Gavin noted several of them looking to him as Chris drove.

“Uh….hi?” Gavin felt his stomach shrink as they stared at him. “You guys were told what we’re doing, right?”  
“You mean the kind of suicidal mission we’re on? Yes. We don’t like it, but we don’t like leaving thousands of others to die less. So, tell us what you need us to do.”  
“Um… Chris, can we pull over for a moment, figure this shit out?” Gavin grumbled.

“I think it’s better if we keep moving. Again, limited time. What if we have everyone who doesn’t want to go, we pull off and have them head to the harbor? They can meet Fowler and Kim there, help out as necessary.”

“I’d prefer that, actually.” A small voice, timid. “I’m sorry, but I don’t want to go to the camps. I’m so scared as is.” The one who spoke stood. “So, if I can help out at the docks, I think that would be better.”  
“OK. I get it. Be safe, OK?” Gavin nodded to Chris, who pulled over. “Everyone who wants off, get off now. I don’t blame you. I hope to see you again. Be safe, avoid the patrol routes you know are active.”

Those who were aware stood. “What about the ones passed out? Should we take them with us?”

Gavin looked down at their unconscious brethren. “Actually, I think they might be more convincing as props. But I will leave that up to you guys.”

“Props?” A female with green eyes and dark brown hair asked. “I don’t understand.”

“We’re taking androids, right? We’re moving them around. Here’s proof.” Gavin said, pointing to them. “We’re picking up androids. We started with the few that escape the DPD. We conked them out with the help of the ‘good droids.’ After that, we tell them that we’re transporting any androids to a new…let’s be nice and call it a ‘site.’ After that, we break them out and bust out.”

“Good luck.” The female spoke. “I hope to see you two again, Gavin.”

Sighing, Gavin and Chris pulled back onto the roads, silence settling between them uncomfortably. They drove to the camps, and, looking at it approaching, Gavin felt unsure.

“Are you ready?” Chris asked, looking back. “It’s going to be mostly on you to convince them. You’re way more dramatic and a better actor than I am.”

Gavin took a deep breath, held it as they approached the gates. Releasing it, Gavin rolled his eyes. “Let’s do this.”

Stopped at the gate, Gavin stepped out. “Jesus, don’t tell me they didn’t let you know?”

“Know what?” The male guard stood a good few inches taller than Gavin.

“We’re here to pick up androids and transport them to a new site. Something about camps being filled?” Gavin asked, and then groaned when the guard shook his head. “Fuckers are screwing with us. We’ve been told to go to one camp after another. And it looks like you’re pretty overloaded.”  
Gavin looked into the camp. _Jesus. Maybe they’ll fall for it because we’re not wrong. IT’s standing room only._

The snow drifted down, falling on androids who were shivering, doing their best to stay warm in Detroit’s freezing winter temperatures. Lights shone off of them as they stood, seemingly praying.

“They’re opening up a new camp? About damn time.” The guard grumbled. “I need to see identification, though.”

Flashing his badge, Gavin felt his gut clench. “Yeah, I know. Something about housing codes or some shit? I think they mentioned something alone those lines. I don’t get it. They’re being ‘decommissioned’ who cares what the conditions are?”  Gavin pointed to the blood on his shirt. “I was already attacked when some of the DPD androids attacked me.”

“Jeeze. Rough night. How soon till you go off shift?” The guard asked, unlocking the door and waving the bus through.

“Longer than I want. Any chance I could bum a cup of coffee off of you guys?” Gavin grumbled. “I would kill for some energy right now.”

“Sure. Start loading, and we’ll grab that. We humans have to stick together in the face of these guys.” The guard said, nodding toward the androids.

_Fuck you._ Gavin flashed a grin. “You know it!” Mentally, Gavin reached out to Chris. “OK, they’re letting us in. I apologize for how awful I’m going to sound, but it’s to keep them from looking at you for too long.”

“Believe me, this is all going into what I’ve labeled as the ‘legal defense’ folder. We’re gonna need it.”  Chris said, before cutting out his connection to Gavin to reach the others in the camp.

Gavin grinned at the human guard who walked over and handed him a cup of coffee. Taking a small sip—he was able to handle those—Gavin helped pretend to menace androids into the bus.

Keeping his back to the guards, he pushed and shoved, doing his best to not actually harm the obviously terrified men and women—and children—who’d been put in this situation.

The guards laughed as they saw the androids flinch. “Stupid machines. It’s not going to hurt. You don’t have pain receptors.” The man who handed Gavin the coffee laughed as the androids went into the bus.

“Tell me about it. At work, I’m paired with a plastic prick who I swear has no emotion. One time I spilled hot coffee on him to see if he would react. Nothing, beyond ‘I need to go change clothes.’ That was it. It was awesome.”

The guards laughed. “Wow. Awesome.”

Gavin smiled, and began to tell stories—racist and others—as he did his best to distract the guards. It appeared to work, as more android filled the bus.

“Chris, how long until we can go?” Gavin asked, worrying about running out of stories.

“We’re almost done.” Chris said, looking back to Gavin as he helped yet another android on to the bus. “Keep going.”

The androids said nothing, did nothing. They simply climbed into the bus, and laid down on the ground.

Reaching out to Chris, Gavin asked “Um…..what the hell? Why are they on the floor of the bus?”

“We can get more people this way. As it is, it looks like we’ve basically cleared out the place. From what I understand, they haven’t stopped to do a head count. After this last group, we’re getting out of here.” Chris smiled.

“Thank god. My vocal components are starting to hurt, but the coffee is working as a distraction.” Gavin turned back to his new ‘friends’.

“Looks like we’re almost done. Thanks for talking with me. My partner is a sympathizer and refuses to speak to me at the moment.” Gavin smiled, walking back to the bus. “Call me sometime if you’re in the neighborhood at the DPD.” Downing the rest of the coffee—to appear authentic—Gavin felt his throat close and burn.  
“Sure. Best of luck getting off of work soon.” The guard glanced back at the camp as Gavin climbed on the bus.

The gates were still open as Gavin and Chris looked at each other. “Floor it?” Gavin asked mentally, noticing the shouts of the guards, who’d realized quickly that there was basically no one left.

“Fucking flooring it!” Chris responded, panicked. Pressing his foot down, the bus shot forward.

They made it past the gates, and there was no one following them about five blocks later.

“G…” Gavin struggled to speak vocally, the coffee he’d downed having burned his vocal chords. _Ow, ow. Fuck. No more verbal talking until I get this fixed._

“Go to the docks. I know.” Chris looked at Gavin. “Are you OK?”  
Shaking his head, Gavin turned to watch for other cars. Reaching out mentally, Gavin sighed. “No, I’m not. I’m freaking out. We’re idiots. Any contact from Tina or Hank?”

“None, but I did get confirmation from Fowler. He’s waiting for us. Breathe. We’re almost out.” Chris grinned, obviously riding the high of an adrenaline rush. “We’re so good!”

Gavin shook his head. “We’re not out yet.”

Grimly, Gavin kept watch as they drew closer to the docks. Seeing two ferries ready to go, Gavin grinned. “Well, that takes care of the problem of unloading, doesn’t it?”  
Chris reached out, grasped Gavin’s arm. “We’re going to be done soon.”

Pulling into the loading area, Gavin waved at Fowler, who nodded in return. He lowered the ramp, and Chris drove forward.

Several of the receptionists who’d run earlier were manning the boat. “Welcome aboard, Gavin, Chris. We’re glad you made it.”

Gavin simply smiled.

Chris grinned. “Have we had any contact from Hank or Tina? Are they OK?”

“They’re coming in hot. They ran into some trouble convincing the guards.” The brunette nodded. “We’re glad you two are OK.”

Gavin smiled, but glanced nervously back at the entrance to the docks. “Are we going to leave now? I’d rather we wait in the water, just to see if they need us.” Gavin asked Fowler.

“No, 200. We’re going to wait here until they get loaded up. No man left behind. They might need the extra firepower. For now, unload the bus, and have android report to all levels of the boat. That way, if we’re attacked we’re less likely to all be taken in.”

Gavin nodded, and passed the message along to Chris. “You work the front of the bus, I’ll take the back.”

Quickly, Gavin moved around the bus, and opened the door.

A few androids tumbled out, avoiding touching him.

“Fucking asshole.” One hissed under their breath as they walked by.

Gavin shrugged. It was truthfully awful what he’d said. However, the brunette from earlier walked over. “Don’t talk to him like that.”  
“Why not? You should have heard what he was saying to those guards. What an awful human. Why is he here?”  
“Human?” The brunette scoffed. “Gavin’s an android. What he was saying was to distract the guards. He’s the one who suggested how to pull you all out of those camps. Now, go. You can apologize later.”

The blonde android who’d spoken  turned bright blue with embarrassment, nodded, and rushed off.

Gavin felt warmth. Reaching out, he spoke with her for a brief moment. “Thank you.”  
Nodding the brunette and Gavin both got back to work.

As the rest of the androids unloaded, Gavin found the moments passing by like molasses, and he watched for the bus to come crashing over the entrance.

After about twenty minutes, Gavin heard the bus break as it turned in. _Thank god._

Tina and Hank—and those they’d saved—pulled to the other ferry, and pulled on.

“Can we go now?” Gavin asked, feeling trepidation settle over him.

“Hells yes.” The ferry he stood on started up, and Gavin could see Tina wave at him from the other boat as Kim also started up her ferry.

The boats had been unmoored, and the two pushed off as silently as possible, gliding across the water.

Taking in a deep breath, Gavin felt himself relax for the first time. “We did it.”

Watching the water ripple under the boat, Gavin sighed. _It’s almost peaceful here, with the snow falling onto the water._  Relaxing for a second, he looked up current.

And felt his pump freeze. “Shit! DPD Gun boats inbound. Tina, Hank, watch out!”

The sound of gunfire filled the air, and came from both the left and the right of the fleeing boats.

Gavin raced up the boat, telling everyone to get down. Androids took cover, and Gavin reached out to Fowler. “Can we go faster?”

“Doing my best. We need something else.” Fowler snapped.

Gavin glanced around him, and saw nothing. _What could we use that might be heavy enough to damage the metal gun? It’s basically a fucking turret. Wait….metal. The anchor!_

Running back down to grab the two-ton thing, Gavin threw it over his shoulder and ran back up to the top. _I’m draining my battery so fast. Shit. Forty percent. I hope I have enough energy to see this through._

Standing on the top deck, Gavin looked for the gun—which was easy given the muzzle flash—and calculated. Hefting the anchor, Gavin spun it a few times before releasing it and allowing it to sail through the air—sideways—to knock the gun down and damage it. Damaging the hull, the boat began to sink and the other firing squad had to stop to rescue their colleagues.

The gunfire from that one stopped, and Fowler war whooped. “Great thinking!”

The gunner boats dropped back and the ferry continued their journey to the Canadian entry.

“We’re almost there!” Chris cheered, and some of the others cheered.

As they entered the port, Gavin breathed a sigh of relief. Jumping off to meet the man at the docks, Gavin nodded. “We….seek… sanctua…y” Gavin gasped out, and the blonde man nodded.

“We know. We’ve been directed to send you guys to the capital. We have transportation for you.” The blonde man grinned. “My name is Alex, I’m the wharf master here.  You’ve survived.”

Gavin nodded, and began to help the wharf master tie up the ferry. “Anoth…r com… in. So…on.”

The wharf master nodded. “We know. We’ve been watching. Some of my men are standing by.”

Gavin felt relief. Nodding his thanks, Gavin went to help unload everyone.

Slowly and surely, everyone was loaded off the boat and onto another bus.

Gavin smiled and waved as everyone except Fowler, Chris and himself left.

Hank and Tina had pulled in about a minute before the bus left.

Walking over, Gavin, Chris and Fowler all helped tie up the dock when they heard it.

Gunfire. Crouching down while looking up, Gavin saw that the one boat had returned, and resumed fire at the now stationary boat. His stomach shrank, when he saw that Nines stood on the boat, along with other DPD officers.

Nine’s eyes scanned the shore, and Gavin felt their gazes meet. _How could you, Nines?_ Gavin wondered as Nines pointed to him.  Gavin felt his heart break and he flipped Nines off as he helped unload men and women from the boat.

Androids on board panicked when they saw the gun boat, scrambling and shoving their way toward the buses and dry land.

“Go toward the bus! They’ll take you to safety!” Chris called, guiding the group.

Gavin nodded, and ushered everyone away.

He heard the bullets as they tore through the boat, and an occasional cry of pain reached him.

Seeing someone take a bullet right in front of him, Gavin grabbed the android before they fell, and tucked them to his chest. Standing, Gavin booked it away.

Steps away from the end of the dock, Gavin felt something hit him in the back and pierce through his stomach.

Stumbling, Gavin went down hard and the android he’d been carrying had hopped up and ran away.

Looking back, Gavin saw Tina, Hank and Kim all running toward him. Hank didn’t slow down, just scooped Gavin into a fireman’s carry and they were the last group to climb onto the bus.

Closing his eyes, Gavin fell unconscious.


	3. Chapter 3

Waking up wasn’t much easier. _Fuck. Ow! What the hell?_ Taking stock of his levels, Gavin was confused. _I’m plugged in, but my battery won’t fill any further than 35%?_ Looking around the room, Gavin found himself lying on the ground next to a plug, and Tina sitting next to him. The room was small, but big enough to feel like a hospital room and not a cell.

“Ow.” Gavin groaned, sitting up.

Tina, sitting next to him, smiled. “Hey, you’re awake!”

“Yeah. Why are you speaking verbally?” Gavin asked, looking around.

“Well, the humans here have entered us as refugees. From what we understand, the protests are going well.” Tina reached out, cupped his cheek. “We were really worried about you, though. Hank and the others are all helping with the process of getting everyone comfortable here.”  
“Where is here?” Gavin asked.

“We’re at a refuge center. They had medical provisions ready for us. We were able to fix your vocals—you can talk verbally again—but….the other thing that needed fixed…”

“My battery?” Gavin asked, out loud. “Let me guess: Since I’m an exclusive/rare model, they don’t have the part.”  
“Yeah. Sorry. How are you feeling, otherwise?” Tina asked, scooting closer to him.

“I hurt, but let’s face it that’s not abnormal. I can’t believe that Nines was on that damn boat.” Gavin sighed. “I knew he’d turn. I knew it. Us, my ass.” Tears slipped down his cheeks. “I trusted the wrong person.”  
“Nines was on the boat?” Tina asked, flabbergasted. Noticing the tears, she knelt down next to Gavin. “Hey, it’s OK. We’re safe now.” Tina wrapped her arms around Gavin. “It’s OK.”

“Is it? With my battery not charging beyond thirty-five percent, it basically means I can’t do much of anything unless I’m plugged in! I can’t help with perp control, I can’t walk around for too long on my own. Tina, what am I going to do? I can’t help at the DPD now.” Gavin felt panic—fill his system. “I’m basically useless as a detective android now. And given that Cyberlife has shut down, I’m likely to be stuck this way. And if we lose the fight over there, I’m stuck like this for the rest of my life.”

“Gavin, breath. It’s OK.” Tina hugged him tighter, holding and rocking gently. “It’s OK. We’ll figure it out. You have me, Hank, Chris and Fowler. We’ll help you.”

As she spoke, the door opened. “Hey, he awake?” Hank asked, poking his head inside. Seeing Gavin’s eyes—blue with the thirium rush—Hank sighed. “Do I want to know?”  
“His battery won’t charge beyond thirty-five percent. He’s kind of freaked out.” Tina said, still keeping one arm wrapped around Gavin’s shoulders.

“Well, I don’t know what to say to that, so I’ll say nothing except that I’m glad you’re OK, Gav. Also, we have new clothes, so we can probably ditch the murder vic ones.”

“Oh, Thank RA9. I want out of these.” Tina said, pulling off her top.

Gavin blushed and looked at the ground.

Hank just tossed her a shirt, a pair of black leggings and a jacket. “Jesus, have some dignity, woman.”

“No. I plead a Gavin.” Tina said, pulling off her pants and then pulling on the leggings.

“Excuse you, I have dignity.” Gavin said, in a slightly broken tone. “I just don’t know what to do now.”   
Tina smiled. “Well, first, you’re going to get out of those clothes. And I will change you.”

Gavin’s blush intensified. “No. I can get changed.”  

Taking the jacket, shirt, and jeans, Gavin stood, and slipped out from the clothing. Unplugging, Gavin felt himself struggle to breath as his body flashed a “low battery warning’ in his HUD. Pulling on the clothes, Gavin did his best to ignore it. After throwing on the dark navy t-shirt, and his new jeans, Gavin shrugged on the leather jacket. “How do I look?”

“Smexy baby.” Tina smiled.

“Ha. Seriously.” Gavin sighed. “Am I showing that I’m low on battery?”  
“Honey, you’re getting caught up on it. No one can tell. Well, I mean, I can, but It’s because you told me. Take a deep breath.”

“Ok. OK.” Standing, Gavin felt better. “Was anyone else hurt?”

“You mean of the main group from the DPD? No, we were all pretty luck. The gunner ship was only seemingly firing shots at the boat and docks. You took one because you were brave enough to stand where they could hit you. Once we got to the bus, we were ok.”

“Was Ni…Never mind.” Gavin said, looking away as he walked to the door.

“Yes, Nines was there. I think he was ordered to be there.” Tina said, placing a hand on his shoulder. “He didn’t want you hurt.”

“You don’t know that, Tina.” _I saw him point to me. He meant to aim for me._  “And even if he didn’t want me hurt, he’s ended up injuring me at the very least.” Gavin opened the door, pasting on a grin. “Anyway, is there a way I could get some thirium?”

Tina smiled. “I’m sure we can find some for you, somewhere.”

Walking out into the larger area, Gavin saw a bunch of androids sitting down in the room. The building was obviously an office building, but had taken the cubicles out and replaced them with tables. The only thing that remained unchanged was the break room, which had a fridge and  a small stove.

“Wow. How long until we’re all processed? I don’t think we can all fit here for much longer. How long was I out, anyway?” Gavin asked, scanning the crow for familiar faces. Seeing Chris and the others off in a corner, Gavin waved and walked over to the table.

Tina walked beside him. “You were out for about a half hour. And, as for processing, I think they’re dragging their feet because they’re hoping the protest will be over soon. They think the US president is going to make a statement soon, so we might be headed home early tomorrow afternoon.”

Gavin, ignoring the part about going home, nodded. “At least we’re safe, right? Did everyone who was harmed make it ok?”  
“I think so. Majority of us escaped unscathed. And given that most of these people were in camps, I doubt this is what they expected.” Tina dropped down in a chair, pulled the one next to her out for Gavin. “Sit. It’ll help.”  
Dropping down, Gavin grumbled. “I want something to spark my system and keep me awake. Is this what humans feel when they’re tired?”  
“Hello to you too, you darling ray of sunshine. Glad you’re OK. And yes, it’s good to see us, too.” Fowler said, smiling.

“Sorry. Hi, everyone. I’m glad you’re OK.” Gavin said, feeling a flush burn up his neck.

“It’s OK. We were worried about you.” Chris smiled. “So, what do we do now?”

Gavin shrugged. “I don’t know. I feel like it’s a little early to be making any type of plan. If the protests work, we might be headed ba….” Gavin felt his lungs seize. Wheezing, he turned away.

“Gav?” Tina asked, leaning down. “It’s OK. Just breathe.”  
“I… I don’t know that I want to go back. I don’t feel that I can trust them.” Gavin whispered. “He shot me. How can I trust him?”  
“Gavin, stop.” Fowler’s voice was sharp and brought him out of the panic attack. “It’s OK if you don’t want to go back right away. I’d argue we’ve all earned vacation time at this point. After all, we broke into the camps. We rescued people. Nothing says we have to go back immediately.”  Fowler raised an eyebrow. “We’ll play it by ear. I think in general, we’ll probably have to go back once the protests succeed, because we’re all going to be facing some serious criminal charges.”

Gavin felt his lungs seize again. Wheezing, he put his head down and closed his eyes.

“Great. Cause all of us to panic more.” Tina grumbled. “Look, I’m going to go get some thirium. Do you guys want any?”

“No, thank you.” Chris said. Apparently, the others either nodded or shook their head, because Gavin didn’t hear their responses.

Once his breathing was under control, Gavin sat back up. “OK. I’m good now. Can we talk about anything other than the ‘going home’ or the ‘injuries’?”

“Sure. I was told that a few of the androids wanted to thank us, but we told them about how you were injured and we wanted to wait for you to wake up for them to thank us. Are you OK with having a bunch of people talking to you?” Fowler asked.

Checking his battery, Gavin was shocked to find it had dropped pretty far. “I’m only at twenty percent. I don’t’ think I’m up for that.”  
“Twenty percent? We’ve only been her for like twenty minutes.” Hank said, shocked. “You should be able to keep 35 percent charge for a lot longer than that!”

“Gee, I had no fucking idea, Hank. Guess I know now.” Gavin snapped.

“Sorry, sorry. I know. My bad.” Hank backed down. “We need to find something for you that isn’t constantly being plugged in. What about charged thirium? I heard some others talking about it earlier.”  
Gavin glanced sideways. “I’ve never heard of it, but that makes sense. Thirium is a conductor.”

“Yeah, someone said it’s basically the android version of coffee.” Hank smiled. “I wanted to try it.  They said different voltage is basically like different amounts of espresso. So, two double D batteries should perk you right up.”

Gavin snickered. “Gee, I wonder what else those could do?”

Hank rolled his eyes. “Well, there we go. Snark master, back in town. I’ve let Tina know. She’s started to call your drink the ‘vibrator’ just as an FYI.”

Gavin rolled his eyes. “I’m gonna look you in the eyes and down it.”

“Please, don’t. You’re basically like one of my kids. Or will be once….” Hank stopped midsentence. “Gavin, I know it’s weird, but you’re going…pale.”

Gavin looked down at his hands. The synthetic skin had pulled away, vanishing. Checking his battery, he saw it was still at twenty percent. “I think my body is shutting down non-vital things to keep my battery life for longer.”  
“Jesus.” Fowler winced in sympathy. “That blows. As soon as we get home, I’ll help you when you go to get it replaced. I don’t want you down for when we get to go back to work.”  
Gavin nodded, and dropped his head to the table. Closing his eyes, he went into low power mode for a little bit, until a mug of thirium was placed in front of him. Tina shook his shoulder, and Gavin picked it up.

“Thanks, asshole.” Gavin murmured, and Tina smiled.

“No problem, jackass.” She said, sitting back down next to him. “I had fun telling everyone I was getting you a vibrator.”

Gavin couldn’t help but snicker and laugh.

“God, you two are like children.” Fowler muttered, rolling his eyes.

“Yep.” Gavin said, taking the first sip of his thirium. And feeling thousands of times better as his energy level rise back to 35%.  Taking a deep breath, Gavin could feel himself practically whir back into life.

“Wow. It works.” Chris commented. “Feeling better?”  
“God, yes.” Gavin downed another sip. “And now, I want fresh air. I might go for a walk.”  
“That’s not…..” Fowler backed down as soon as he saw Gavin’s glare. “OK, but be careful. I don’t want to be one man down tomorrow.”  
Nodding, Gavin stood. Walking toward the door, he felt his gut push against him. It screamed. _Go. Run. Get out._ Not sure why or how this was happening, Gavin pushed it. Doubling his pace, Gavin was careful not to spill is thirium as he fled the building.

Walking out into a semi-populated night, Gavin heard the calming sound of water off to his left. Following his ears, Gavin took sips of thirium as he navigated, keeping himself full battery wise—or as full as his batter went at this point. Reaching the edge of the barrier, Gavin stared out over the lake.

Gavin found it to be calming. _The repetitive motion is simply… there. There are  no problems that need to be taken care of. Its simply motion. Everything is fine, the waves were crashing. Nothing is wrong_.

It was a complete lie. Nines had turned on him, he was injured—and now tired—and he couldn’t release the swelling energy in his stomach. The sadness slowly built into rage and loss.

Gavin stewed as he drank his coffee, looking out across the water to Detroit. “Why should I come back? Why should I trust you again?”

There was no answer, and people steered around him, clearly having no wish to be around the insane man talking to himself.

Taking another sip of the thirium, Gavin turned his back on the city he’d left and walked back to the android hub.

On his way back, Gavin felt gazes follow him—and then footsteps.

Glancing back, Gavin saw three young men who were turning to appear inconspicuous. One had their sleeves pushed up to the elbow, where track marks could be seen.

Sighing, Gavin turned around and walked to them. “What do you want?”   
One twitched as they stepped to meet him. “You blood. It’s so valuable.”

“Sorry, asshole, but I need that shit.” Throwing a fast punch, Gavin knocked out the teen. Glancing at the other two, he watched them. “Do you really want to do this?”  
They shook their head, apparently cowed by the force of their friend hitting the sidewalk. “No, sir.”  
“Good. Go away. Die if you want. Fucking druggies.” Gavin grumbled, searching for a rehab shelter nearby. “There’s a shelter two block that way. Go there. It might help to get you guys off the shit.”   
Turning, Gavin walked back into the government building he’d left earlier. Downing the last of his thirium, Gavin navigated back to the others, dropping back down to the chair.

“Feel better?” Tina asked, rubbing his shoulder gently.

“MMnMMph.” Gavin responded, tired of speaking.

“Got it. Grump.” Tina laughed, taking away the mug. “We’re going to go watch the protests on TV. There should be a place to plug in around there. Want to come with?”

“Sure.” Gavin looked around. “Oh, also, pass around a warning: There were kids outside looking to take thirium from people. Tell the others to be careful. Or to go in groups of four or bigger.”

“Why not tell them yourself?” Hank asked, standing.

“Um…. Some of what I said when we were exiting the camp. I acted like a racist human. So, I don’t want that to damage my credibility, and risk others not listening to me.” Gavin felt his energy draining. “Let’s go to that plug in spot. I seriously hate this.” Gavin grumbled.

The five of them stood and navigated through the mess of androids to the next floor, where a bigger group had gathered in order to watch the protests. Most stood along the walls of the room, eyes closed as they watched the news feed through their connection to the internet.

“Wanna watch over there?” Tina asked, nodding to a smaller area that was mostly unpopulated due to the couch and TV set up.

“Sure.” Chris said, taking point and walking over.

Gavin was placed on the far left, on the ground next to the couch, closest to the plug. Picking up the remote, Tina, next to Gavin, flipped on the TV to on. Fowler and Hank sat on the couch, and Chris took the floor on the other side.

The protests were once again blaring on in front of them. Luckily, though, the second component of android being executed on television had been practically stopped.

“Well, there’s one positive.” Gavin watched as the news flashed to and fro between developments in congress and the protests. “No one is being executed live.”

“I wonder if they know who busted everyone out?” Chris asked, looking to the others. “I kind of hope not?”

“Same.” Gavin grumbled, slumping against the wall. “Look, I’m going to go to sleep, so wake me up if anyth…”

A infographic flashed and the Detroit WXYZ anchors appeared on screen. “In breaking news, the president has decided to speak to the nation.”

The news cut to President Warren. “My fellow Americans, we are at a crossroads, and we cannot ignore it anymore. For those following the Detroit protests, you have undoubtably wondered when this was going to end. Well, as of right now, I am agreeing to declare androids as a new life form. As such, those who are currently being held captive and executed in ways reflective of the most heinous parts of our nature will be released.”

Cheers went up around the room, but some openly sobbed for those who were lost. Gavin was among the latter, surreptitiously wiping away tears on his shoulder as he pretended to doze.

“I also want to extend my apologies on behalf of the American people to those harmed by this atrocity of this genocide. And make no mistake, that’s what this was. However, I know that we are not mourning as many people as we could’ve thanks to the efforts of a few DPD officers.”

Gavin reeled back about an inch before accidentally hitting his head on the wall. “No way.”

“As of this moment, it’s unclear where these heroes are. However, their actions have saved thousands of innocent victims of circumstance and racism.”

Hank, Chris, Fowler, Tina and Gavin all looked at each other mutely.

_Well, shit. There goes the ability to stay out of the spotlight._

“Any androids who have fled the country to preserve their lives is now invited back to the US without risk of punishment or ridicule. Charges will not be held against any individual who was trying to survive in this trying time. ” President Warren continued, but Gavin couldn’t take it anymore.

Flicking off the TV, Gavin felt the silence sink into his skin. “Is….does this mean that it’s over?”

Fowler shook his head. “No. It’s not. There are laws we need to pass. Precedents to set. But, for tonight, yes, it’s over. I might go for a walk, to get away from this.” Standing, Fowler glanced over to the rest of them. “Want to go as a group? I feel like we’re a little hemmed in.”

Gavin checked his power levels. “I’m at about twenty-eight percent. I want to go with, but I need some spiked thirium to deal with stuff.”  
“Sure.” Tina stood, offering Gavin her hand. “I’ll go with you guys. And some thirium sounds kinda nice.”

Hank sighed. “I think we all need out of here. Maybe there’s some sort of tourist trap we can all go to.”

Chris shrugged. “Do you want me to reach out to some of the receptionists? They might enjoy some relaxation time.”

“Sure.” Fowler grinned. “They were just as much a part of this as we were.”

Chris nodded, his LED spinning yellow as he contacted them. “Except for Kim, they’re uninterested, and hope we have a good time. She said they’d meet us at the front.”

The group stood, walking downstairs out of the office as all eyes rested on them.

Kim jogged up to them as they exited. “Hi. Glad you’re all Ooooo….” Looking toward Gavin, she flashed a grin. “Are still alive.”

“OK…” Fowler said, glancing back as they walked out the door and others followed. “I’m a little creeped out now.”

Stopping, the group turned around. “Can we help you?” Fowler asked the small group of about 20 androids who’d followed them.

“Are you guys headed back now? We want to go with you.” The voice was small, scared. “We don’t trust all of the humans. You’re the ones who got us out. If you’re going back now, we want to walk with you.”

Fowler smiled gently. “We’re glad you feel safe with us. We’re just going for a walk, to get away from the crush. We’ve all had a long night, so we were gonna go look for some quiet.”

The android nodded. “Oh. OK. I’m not sure we feel safe being out here. We’re going to head back. Please let us all know when you guys decide to head back.”

Fowler’s smile was frozen on his face. “We’ll figure it out later. Goodnight.”

Walking, the group quietly wound their way through the streets. All of the aware members of the DPD were silent as they wove their way through the unfamiliar streets.  It was dark—unsurprisingly given the hour.

“Well, anywhere you think we can hang out without spending money?” Chris said, as the group walked down another road.

“There’s a library about two miles from here. We could go there. It’d be quiet. And there’d be something to do.” Tina said.

“Sounds like it works. And there shouldn’t be anywhere near as many voices there.” Chris said.

Walking quietly, all the group navigated carefully through the drunks out way past their limit and others apparently seeking out the night sky.

Softly, snow began to fall. Gavin felt something in him relax, probably for the first time that evening. Calmness overtook him, and he noticed that his energy levels seemed to hold more steady.

Reaching the library, Gavin and the others took over the couches on the far end of the first floor. College students and late-shift librarians didn’t pay them much mind. Just others in the night doing what they needed.

Connecting each one of them, Fowler said “OK, so are we heading back tomorrow? Or do we want to give it a day or two before we do so because it’s going to be a mad house over there?”  
Tina sighed. “I want to head back tomorrow. True, it’s going to be a mad house, but our partners are going to need us for that. And besides. Gavin needs repairs as soon as possible. We can’t get those here.”

Gavin sighed. “I understand that you want to get back, but even if we do there’s no guarantee that Cyberlife would be open to androids. They were resisting the change before now. It’s not like they’re going to hand over the keys and just let us in.”

“I think they’ll have to.” Tina whispered.

“I hope so, but I don’t know.” Gavin quietly leaned back against the couch. “I’m kind of tired. I’m going to go into low power mode. Wake me if you need me.”

“Night.” Hank said.

Closing his eyes, Gavin let his thoughts and worries vanish as only the survival option weighed on his mind, and given that he was plugged in, that wasn’t much of a worry.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a warning for the next either 1 or 2 chapters: It gets dark. I will be updating tags to make sure you guys know, but seriously. CHECK the tags before reading the next two chapters after this one. 
> 
> You've been warned, mi amigo.

Waking up, Gavin found that the entire group apparently decided to either read or follow his lead and gone into low power mode. Chris, Tina, and Kim were on the couches and floor around him, while Hank and Fowler sat with open books.

Opening his eyes, Gavin checked his power levels. _Please, let this have been me panicking for no reason. Please, RA9._

No such luck. He was ‘fully charged’ at his 35%. _Fuck me._ Sitting up, Gavin checked the time and noted that it was early in the morning—around two a.m.

Standing, Gavin stretched out—not that he had to, but he enjoyed the range of motion of his own limbs.

Tina and Chris began to stir, and Hank and Fowler looked over.  
“Welcome back to the land of the living.” Hank grinned. “Gavin, did you know you have a snoring option enabled?”  
“I do not. Why weren’t we kicked out of here? ” Gavin quickly turned away, scanning his code. _Do I?_

“Do so, but that’s not important.  And it’s finals week for the poor college kids, so they’re open round the clock, apparently. Fowler and I’ve been studying the law surrounding androids, and we think…” Fowler stated, and Gavin held up a finger.   
“Nope. We need to have this discussion after I get some thirium and energy. And will to deal with all of it. But mostly the spiked thirium. Let’s head back to the center. And then let’s go home.” Walking a bit ahead of the others, Gavin tried to work through what he’d say once he got home and saw Nines.

Walking back, the group of DPD members found a bunch of androids waiting for them.

Fowler was the one to speak to the group.  “We plan on heading back today. Anyone who wants to go with us is welcome. We plan on leaving as soon as we can.”

Voices rang out. “Thank you.” “Is there anything we can do for you?” “You’re so brave.” “Damn, it was dumb but I’m glad you saved us.”

Gavin grinned as he caught snippets like the last one.

Kim flashed a grin, and took a step forward. “I’m ready to go home. Anyone else?”

Murmured agreement rippled through the crowd.

A few members of the crowd broke away to walk up to them. Their blazers marked them as government employees. “Hi. We understand that you’re going back to America. What do you need from us to help us get you guys home?”

“Well, transportation if at all possible. I know a few of us were injured last night.” Chris stated. “If we could use the same ferries or something, that would be nice?”

“Unfortunately, the ferries and the busses were confiscated last night. They were American property, after all. However, I’m pretty sure we can arrange transport. Meanwhile, there is thirium in the building.” A young woman with red hair stated. “Please, help yourselves while we arrange transport.”

The rest of the morning and some of the early afternoon was a waiting game. Busses were arranged, and transportation secured. At about 2 in the afternoon, everyone was once again on boats headed back for Detroit.

Gavin stood on the top deck, letting the wind rush by him. Other androids contacted him to chat, but he denied all requests as he leaned over the railing and let himself enjoy the sensation of being on the water.

“Gavin?” Hank walked up next to him. “What’s up? We’ve been trying to get ahold of you for awhile now. We’re getting close to land. They want us to lead the way home.”

Gavin turned, and dropped down to sit back against the railing. “How could Nines shoot me, Hank? We’ve been together for such a long time.”

Hank sighed and sat down next to him. “Honestly? I don’t know. Maybe he didn’t like that you were deviant?”

Gavin shook his head. “No. He’s known I was deviant—or suspected at least—for a long time. I think I deviated somewhere around my third year at the DPD. And I think he knew. Others didn’t because my personality matrix was so different from the typical android, but he knew. He started to take me home with him after that.”

“Wait, you two are together?” Hank spluttered, blue rushing his cheeks. “I… I had..”

Gavin cut him off. “No. Not like that.” Blue flooded his cheeks. “But… had this started any later… we might have been.”

“Welp, I have no help for you. I don’t know, and I don’t want to know considering he’s basically my second son. Now, I’m going to go wipe this memory from my brain. Gavin, I’m sorry you’re hurt, but you need to talk to him or a professional. Not me. Never again. Understood?” Hank stood up, and started to walk off.  “Oh, and we’ll be making land in twenty minutes. We’re meeting at the doors. Be there.”

Gavin laughed as Hank sped walked away from him. Then sobered. _I don’t know what to do. I love him, but how can I trust him now?_

No answer rang down from the heavens as he’d hoped it might, and after fifteen minutes of trying to puzzle out his feelings Gavin walked downstairs to meet the DPD group.

Reaching the docs, the ferry began to open up.

“Well, let’s go.” Fowler said, leading the way back into the city.

The docks were teaming with people—but that wasn’t necessarily a good thing. Cries of “you’re just a machine” “You don’t deserve rights, after all my Roomba doesn’t” and other anti-android slurs all mixed together.

Cops lined the way along the docks, providing safe passage for androids as they walked past.

Hank saw Connor before anyone else, ran up behind him and hugged his son. “Hey, you.”

Con turned and launched himself into Hank’s arms. “God, you scared me so bad. But I’m glad you left. They came for you guys about twenty minutes later. It was a huge problem once they found out you’d vanished.”

Hank smiled. “I’m just glad it’s over, Con. How are you still awake? You were up late last night, and you’re already back on the job?”

“I refused to help them last night. I went home and went to bed, told them they could stuff the job right….” Con caught himself and grinned. “Well, let’s say it wasn’t exactly nice what I said. To Nines or to the FBI agents who came in.”  
Hank looked to the others from the DPD, who’d surrounded the two of them. “We can talk about this back at the station. Anything big we need to know?”

“Um… Nines was suspended for two weeks pending internal investigation by Captain Stern. You’ve all got a crap ton of back pay waiting for you, and I think anything else is stuff Captain Stern wants to tell you.” Connor smiled. “So none of you were harmed? I’m so glad. Nines was inconsolable last night. HE kept swearing that he shot Gavin. I told him that if he did, he deserved it.”

Connor was joined by Tina’s partner, Mark. Together, they got everyone into cars and ready to head back to the DPD.

Gavin swallowed, before asking: “What’s going on with Nines? Is he OK?”

Connor glanced into the rear-view mirror. “He went along with the orders. We don’t know why. That’s why he’s suspended.”

“Wait he just went along with it?” Chris asked. “That’s strange, he’s always seemed to be pro-android before.”

Connor shrugged. “Who knows.” His voice was frigid, angry.

“Con, you OK?” Hank asked, leaning forward.   
“Yeah. It’ll just be an adjustment for me.” Con said, and then smiled back at the group. “It’s nothing that need to be talked about right now.”

Pulling up in front of the DPD, Connor shoed everyone toward the doors. “Go. Captain Stern wants to talk to all of you.”

The group climbed out, and went inside where it was incredibly quiet.

“This is like the start of a horror game, right?” Tina asked, pushing Fowler and Hank to the front.

Hank glared over his shoulder at her. “Knock it off.”

Fowler rolled his eyes and walked ahead of the group. “Let’s go.”

The rest of the group fell in line, walking into the bull pen.

Captain Stern stood there beside Chris’s partner, smiling. “Welcome home. You’ve done us proud.”

Fowler glanced around. “Where is everyone?”

“We needed to get statements about the actions of one of our officers last night.” Captain Stern’s face was frozen. “We needed to know what happened.”  
“Wait, let me guess, this is about Nines?”  Gavin asked, pushing forward.

“Yes, it is. What you tell us will decide his punishment here at the DPD. We weren’t told much.” Captain Stern’s face twisted. “I don’t understand it, but I will not let any of my officers attack civilians.”

Gavin looked back at the others. “We weren’t considered citizens until late last night. I would argue that even if he did shoot us under orders that he was being ordered to.”

“While I understand that, he still should have refused.” Captain Stern’s face softened. “We’re checking security cameras, and the video from when they pulled Nines into a meeting. I promise, we’re looking into this to make it as fair to everyone as possible.”

Gavin looked back to the group and sighed. “OK. I understand.”

Gavin’s statement was taken by Chris’s partner, Kayla. “He shot you?” She asked, incredulous.

“Yeah. Ended up with some pretty serious damage. Actually, speaking of which…” Gavin turned to Fowler. “I need to go charge. Do you mind if I send you the rest of my statement so I can?”  
Captain Stern walked over. “You’re injured?”  
“Yes, ma’am. I need to charge almost constantly. I was hoping now that I was back in Detroit that I would be able to fix it.”

“OK. So we’ll put you on paid vacation until you’re able to get that replaced.” Captain Stern’s smile was gentle. “Unless you don’t want to come back?”  
Gavin shook his head. “No, this is where I want to be. I just don’t want Nines punished unfairly. I want to do that myself.” Realizing what he’d said, Gavin felt himself flush. “I mean…”

Captain Stern had turned away, her shoulders shaking. “D..on’t worry.” She said, pulling in gasps of air between smothered chuckles. They subsided and Captain Stern continued. “I’m reviewing tapes. In the meantime, Gavin, head out and try to get fixed.  Connor, you’re off and Hank, so are you. You two are going to be on tomorrow, so get on out and get some rest.”

Still blushing, Gavin walked out in front of Hank and Connor.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, everyone. Hope that you were safe through that bomb cyclone thing. I probably wasn't--I was out in it when the shut down I-70 in Colorado. I was headed home. Luckily, I was able to stay with someone instead of being stranded.
> 
> Anyway, let me know what you think.

“Do you want a ride to Cyberlife?” Connor asked, pulling out his keys.

Hank jumped in before Connor could answer. “I want to know how you knew Nines was inconsolable last night.”

Connor’s face froze, and he shrugged. “After he shot Gavin, he came to see me. Panicking, crying. The whole nine yards, no pun intended. I told him to get out, that anyone who could shoot someone he professed to ‘care’ about wasn’t worth my time. That he was an embarrassment and that I wanted nothing to do with him. Told him not to contact me and that we weren’t brothers if that was how he thought he should act.”

Gavin felt his thirium pump freeze. “Let me get this right, you threw out your own twin brother?”  
Connor’s face froze even further as he became defensive. “Yeah.”  Turning, he walked to his car while Hank and Gavin rushed to follow.

Hank asked first. “Are you OK?”

Connor’s face started to fall. “No. I don’t understand why he would do what he did. And I’m angry.”

“But that’s how you want to deal with it?” Hank asked, gently. “I doubt you wanted to cut your brother out, for the rest of your life.”  
Connor snorted. “Don’t worry, he normally gets in contact about twelve hours later. We’ve disowned each other a lot in the past—mostly through high school. He’ll call and we’ll make up then.”

Gavin narrowed his eyes. “How long does it usually take him to get into contact?”

“Like I said, twelve hours.” Connor said, turning away.

“What time did he come to you last night? It’s probably been the twelve hours.” Gavin asked, watching Connor roll his eyes.

“Don’t worry, he’s never late. I swear, one time he woke me up at midnight after we’d fought at noon. He’ll call soon.” Connor climbed into the drivers side.

Gavin felt something pull at his stomach. Checking his power levels, Gavin sighed. “Anyway I could charge as we go? I’m getting low.”

“Sure. Plug in the back. Help yourself.” Starting the car, Connor waved both Hank and Gavin in.

The few moments they pulled out were quiet.

“Connor, are you sure it hasn’t been twelve hours? We got to Canada about ten or eleven last night. Android rights were declared somewhere around eleven-thirty to midnight. Nines probably would’ve been home by then, came to see you somewhere from one thirty to two ‘o’clock. That means that 2 p.m. would be the cut off point for when he’d call you, right?”  Gavin asked, looking at the dashboard clock.

“Yeah, so?” Connor asked, turning.

“Con, it’s like four p.m. He’s two hours late. And if he’s never late, there’s probably something wrong.”  Hank said, and Gavin watched the realization break over him.

“OK, so we’re going to make a detour to check on my brother. Hope you don’t mind.” Connor said, quickly completing a U-turn and heading in the direction of Nine’s apartment.

The seconds seem to stretch on forever as the three of them sped to Nine’s apartment. Parking, Connor was the last out of the car as Gavin and Hank surged ahead of him.

Reaching Nine’s apartment on the fourth floor, Gavin knocked and was surprised to find it unlocked. The apartment seemed different somehow, wrong.

Mewling came from the bathroom—but it didn’t sound like Nine’s cat. Walking over, Gavin opened it to find that Maizy had given birth to her kittens.

The static noise he made caused Connor to walk over. “What the fu…. KITTIES!”  
Connor knelt down. “Look at these little things. Oh, my god. Mine. I call dibs.”

Gavin scanned the kittens. Even though they were mostly clean, there was still some amniotic fluid and debris from birth stuck to their fur. The feeling of something being off intensified. “Nines wasn’t here for this.”

Connor turned to him, face going pale. “What do you mean?”  
“They’re not entirely clean. Nines would’ve cleaned them off as soon as he could have. He wasn’t here.” Standing, Gavin crossed to Nine’s bedroom. _Please, Nines. Be asleep and safe. Please._

Opening the door, the windchill of a cold Detroit winter day hit Gavin. _Shit, that’s what was wrong. He never lets it get this cold. Where the hell is he?_

 Looking over to the balcony, Gavin noticed that the sliding glass door was open.

Feeling his gut drop, Gavin walked over to it.

What he found nearly stopped his thirium pump. “CONNOR! HANK!”

Nines was slumped over in a balcony chair, with a bottle of booze on his lap. His skin held a blueish tone and his lips looked frozen. The only color on his face was some blood next to his temple from where he’d apparently hit his head on the side of the balcony. Other bottles were scattered around the chair. He wore nothing but light pjs that were soaked through and he wasn’t responding to much of anything.

Grabbing Nines, Gavin began to drag him inside as Connor and Hank both scrambled to help pull Nines in. _I’m at the full battery—or as full as it can get for me right now._

“Oh, god. Oh god.” Connor whimpered, grabbing Nine’s feet and helping Gavin carry him to the bed. “We need to warm him up. Nines. Please.”

Gavin tossed him on the bed and began to shuck his clothes. “Hank call an ambulance. We need to get him to the hospital.”

Hank nodded. “They’re already on their way. I called them when I heard you scream.”

Gavin nodded, panicked. “Connor go grab all the blankets you can. I’ll try to over-clock my systems to provide enough heat to get him to start to respond. Let the EMS in when they get here.” _I need to get Nines warm. I’m still mostly charged. It shouldn’t interfere with my keeping Nines alive…_

Connor ran out, and Hank helped Gavin strip Nines of the soaked clothes. Pulling Nines against his body, Gavin shivered. Wrapping the blankets around the two of them, Gavin held Nines tight. “Nines. Please. Hold on, OK? We can talk after you wake back up. I still have things I want to say to you.” Whispering to Nines, Gavin held him tighter. _Shit. My battery’s falling. I can’t keep it up for long._

Hank came back. “What’s his pulse? Did you check for it?”

Gavin panicked, reaching out.  “What if he doesn’t have one, Hank?” Pressing his fingers into Nine’s carotid artery because scanning him would drain his battery even more, Gavin prayed harder than he had any other time. _Please, please be alive. I can’t let you go. That can’t be our last interaction. You have kittens to raise! You can’t leave, Nines. You can’t. Please, Please be here. I don’t want you to go. I still care. Please, please come back to me._

A flutter sparked a flash fire of joy in Gavin’s heart, which was then smothered under the weight of the situation. “He still has one. It’s faint, though.”

Hank smiled, tears hanging in his eyes. “There’s all we need for now. EMS should be here any second.”

The door was opened a second later, and EMS rolled in. Pulling Nines from Gavin, they quickly grabbed a blanket and threw it over him. Rushing Nines out, the EMS barely acknowledged the other three.

Scrambling from the bed, Gavin pulled his clothes back on and dashed to the front where Hank and Connor waited. “Let’s go.”

Rushing back down to the car, Hank, Gavin and Connor all drove to the hospital in the most tense silence they’d been in in a long time.  Gavin was plugged in, having exhausted his battery. _Damn it, that was close. I could’ve run out of battery… I need to get this shit fixed._


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, everyone....  
> Let me know what you think. I'm not sure if I should continue this, it doesn't seem to be doing well....

Reaching the hospital, the three of them rushed in after parking the car.

Reaching the ER, Connor walked to the receptionist. “Ni… Nathan Anderson. He was brought in as a hypothermia case? Where is he?”

“Anderson? The police detective? That’s who that was?” The receptionist reached for the phone, and dialed a number. While waiting for the other person to pick up, he said “He’s upstairs, in the ICU. Head on up to the fourth floor and ask the front desk there for information.” The receptionist smiled, gently. “It’s OK, take a breath.”

Connor dragged in some air before sprinting off toward the elevators.

Gavin and Hank followed, keeping pace easily.

Gavin mentally checked his battery, cursing when he found it close to only five percent. _After I beat the crap out of him for scaring me—and subsequently getting help for the new injuries—I need to get a new battery._

When the elevator didn’t arrive as Connor pressed the button, he turned to sprint up the stairs.

Hank grabbed him by the collar. “Down, kiddo. Breathe.”

“But…Hank…. What if…. what I said to him last night is the last thing I get to say to him, ever? What if I was the one who pushed my brother to the edge? Why did I turn him away last night? I know I was upset, but I should have realized he was hurting.  Why didn’t I see that?” Connor’s voice rose to a shrill harpy’s call.

Hank collard Connor, pulling him close to his chest. “Look, kid. I love you. You are my son. Yes, you made a mistake, but that doesn’t make you responsible for his actions.” Cupping the back of his head, Hank pulled Connors head down to his shoulder. “Shhh….”

Connor began to openly weep. “I just…I shouldn’t have said what I did.”

“I’m not saying that you shouldn’t have said what you said, but that’s a judgment call that can be made later. It was a mistake. Let’s just work on your apology after you see your brother.” Hank wrapped his arms around Connor’s shaking shoulders. “Now, breathe. In….out. It’s OK.”

Taking a few deep breaths, Connor turned toward the elevator as it dinged open. Pulling away from Hank, Connor waited impatiently as the other pedestrians exited. Dashing in, Connor wasn’t waiting for the others as he pressed the button on the third floor. Gavin and Hank both pushed in seconds before the doors shut.

“Jeeze, Con. Down.” Gavin walked over, putting his hand on his shoulder.

Connor shook off the affection. “I know, I know. I don’t care right now.” Watching the floor indicator, Connor braced as the doors opened on the third floor. Gavin and Hank were both ready to rush after him this time, and followed as Connor sprinted onto the floor.

Connor dashed to the front desk, nearly sliding into it.  
“I’m looking for….” Connor barely got the words out before the nurse cut him off.

“You’re looking for the man in 312. I will ask you to wait in the waiting room, and I’ll send the doctor to talk to you.” The nurse’s face was stern, and she cut Connor off before he could demand to see Nines. “I know that you want to see him, but I can’t let you until after the Doctor clears him.”

Sighing, Connor turned and walked to the waiting room.

Gavin followed, while Hank started to talk to the nurse.

Connor walked in and collapsed into a chair. Pulling his knees to his chest, Connor pressed his face into his thighs. He began to whisper to himself. “He’ll live. He has to. It’ll be OK. He’ll live. He won’t go.” He continued to try to reassure himself. Tears leaked out, and Connor attempted to hide them as he rocked slightly.

Gavin walked over and sat down next to him. Saying nothing, Gavin slung an arm around Connor’s shoulders. Saying nothing but offering comfort as the two suffered together through the minutes when a nurse walked in.  
“Hello. Are you waiting for Mr. Anderson? And how are you related?” The young woman walked over, sitting down on Connor’s other side.

“Yes, I am. Can you tell me anything?” Connor asked, unfolding.

The nurses’ eyes were soft. “I can tell you that we’ve stabilized him. I do have a few questions, though.”

“OK.” Connor sniffled, and the nurse handed him a tissue.

Smiling, Connor took it. “You said you had questions? What can I do to help?”  
“OK, I need to confirm you relation to him first. To confirm identity, I need his full name.” The nurse smiled gently as Connor took a deep breath.

“I’m his twin brother, my name is Connor Anderson.” Connor pulled out his ID and handed it over while gesturing widly and talking quickly. “His name is Nathan Anderson. He goes by Nines, and that’s what he’s been called since he was ten.” Connor smiled. “He told mom and dad never to call him ‘Nate’ ever again.”

The nurse smiled, reaching over and patting Connor’s shoulder. “That’s sweet. OK. I will be back in five minutes.” Standing, she walked out.

Connor sighed. “God, Nines. Please.” Gavin said nothing, sitting in silence and letting Connor process.

Walking back in, the nurse smiled. “We’ve confirmed both your identity and his. I have a few more questions, but If you want to know anything, I can now answer them.”

Connor sat up and then stood. “Is he OK?”

“We’ve stabilized him. You’ll get more information when the doctor comes in.” The nurse’s eyes were misted. “It shouldn’t be long after I get some info from you.”

“OK. What do you need to know? I want to see him.”

“That can be arranged. Does he have any medication he takes? Anti-depression, anti-inflammatory? Is there medication we need to know about?”

Connor nodded. “He’s on anti-depressants. He’s been on them since we were fifteen or sixteen.”

“OK, good to know. We’ve checked his records, and you’re the next of kin and are in charge of medical decisions. We need to know what you want to do, if he doesn’t respond positively to treatment.” The nurse winced in sympathy as Connor let out a gasp.

“I know this is really hard, and I know that you probably don’t want to think about it. But it is a possibility we need to address.” Her voice was gentle, and Gavin grasped Connor as whimpered, crying afresh.

“If…. If he doesn’t respond well within a few days, I know he doesn’t want to live as a vegetable. So, give him the best chance possible. Please. If he doesn’t respond after that, I want him taken off of life support.” Connor began to weep heavier, and the nurse nodded.

“OK. I will let them know and have the doctor come in and talk to you.” Leaning over, the nurse took Connors hand, squoze it, and stood. “It shouldn’t take long.”

As the nurse walked out, Connor began to sob. “I just… I just told them to kill my brother.”

Pain racked Gavin, pulling Connor to his side. “Shhhh…It’s OK. It’ll be OK.”

Rocking back and forth, Gavin noticed that his skin had vanished.

Reaching down, he located a wall port. Plugging in, Gavin then turned back to hug Connor. “It’s OK.”

Hank walked in, sighing. “They’ll be with us in a few.” Walking over, Hank looped his arm around Connor’s shoulders as he sat down.

The three of them waited. After a few moments, Connor stood and started to pace.

 “Wake me up when they let us in.” Gavin closed his eyes.

Hank sighed. “Will do.”

Gavin wasn’t sure how long he was out, but when Hank shook him awake, he jumped.

“Whoa… easy. They’re letting us in to see Nines. Connor already headed in. He didn’t want to wait. How are you doing?” Hank asked, offering Gavin a hand up.

“OK.” Reaching up, Gavin took Hanks hand and stood.

“No, I mean how much power do you have? You used a lot to be here.” Hank asked, walking alongside Gavin as they exited the room.

“I’m at about twenty percent, after charging in the car. I’ll probably plug in and stay with him. I think Connor needs a break soon.” Gavin said, as they walked by the front desk.

“Yeah, I think so, too. Question is, how do I get him out of here?” Hank muttered as they neared the door of Nine’s room.

Switching to a mental connecting, Gavin sighed. “The kittens. Have Con take care of the kittens. Then, you might be able to get him out of here. Say that Nines wouldn’t want them to suffer.”

“Good idea. How long do you think we should give them?” Walking into the room, Hank and Gavin looked at Connor holding his brother’s hand and crying.

“I’d say give him ten minutes and then get him out of here. He does have work tomorrow. So do you. I don’t. I’ll stay with him.” Gavin moved to the other side of the bed. Speaking verbally to Connor, he tired to sound calm. “What did the doctor say?”

“They think he was getting drunk this morning, and just didn’t stop. They had to pump his stomach because he was past alcohol poisoning. He must have hit his head when he slumped over. The frostbite on his hands and feet is the most extreme, and it might affect how he uses them from here on out. He still should be able to walk given that it’s on the tops of his feet, but they’re unsure if his hands will work as well when he wakes up. However, they think that the cold might have slowed down cell death rate, but they said that it’s possible that he’ll have brain damage. They won’t know until he comes out of the coma.” Connor’s voice shook, breaking every few moments. “They don’t know if he’ll wake up, or when.”

Gavin felt his stomach pitch. “Did they say to look for any signs that might indicate positive change?”

Connor shook his head. “They said it’s mainly a waiting game. If he makes it 24 hours, they’ll upgrade his condition.”

Connor bent over Nine’s bedside, picking up his hand. “Please. You can’t go. We came into this world together, and we agreed to leave together. Since I’m not dying, you can’t go. Please, I love you. I’m sorry I was an awful brother last night. I didn’t mean what I said. I shouldn’t have said it. So don’t go before we break that case-limit mark. We still need to get together and binge the entire series of…fuck, what was that show called? You’re the one who wanted to watch it. _Death Parade_ or something? I promised you we’d watch it. So you can’t go yet. Please.”

Hank glanced over to Gavin, who nodded.

Hank gently picked up Connor. “Com’on, Con. You’re not doing any good here.”

Connor pulled out of Hank’s grasp, turning to spit venom. “What the hell do you mean, old man? I’m not fucking leaving, you can forget about it. What am I supposed to do, forget that I pushed my twin brother to this point? Fuck you.”  
Hank sighed, reaching out to cup Connor’s cheek in his hand. “No, but I know a place where you can help Nines tremendously, and not beat yourself up for it.”

Connor turned away. “Right, what is it?”

“The kittens. He wasn’t there for them, but he’d want you to be. They need to be taken care of. And you need to go to bed sometime tonight. We do have work tomorrow. We’ll need to head back to Nine’s place, pick up the kittens and head home. Then we’ll need to get a place set up for them that Sumo can’t really disturb. That’s all going to take time. Add to that, we’ll probably need to schedule a vet visit for the kittens. That’s all going to take time.” Hank said, calmly. “We should head out soon.”

Connor sighed. “Do you really think Nines would want me to take care of the kittens? Even after what I said?”

“Con, I don’t know, but blaming yourself isn’t going to lead to anything good. Come on, Gavin won’t leave his side. Will you, Gav?” Hank asked, turning to Gavin.

“No, I won’t. I promise to also keep you in the loop, alright? And I agree with Hank. Taking care of the kittens is the best thing you can do right now.”

Standing, Connor nodded. “Ok. I’ll be back after work tomorrow. Let me know the instant anything changes, I’ll come running.”

Hank led Connor from the room, flashing Gavin a grim grin. “Keep in touch, alright? I’ll bring you anything you ask for tomorrow.”

Gavin nodded, and turned to Nines as the door to the hallway shut. “I don’t know what to say, Nines. I never thought this would be your response. Although, I guess you were hit with a lot yesterday.”

Looking down, Gavin observed Nines. There was a bandage wrapped around his head, and a couple of different IV lines in his arms. His hands were wrapped in bandages that made it seem like they were three time the size or that he was wearing micky mouse gloves. His feet had gotten the same treatment, having appeared to grow a shoe size or two. The gown stood out with its green hue against the paper white skin. The heart monitor beeped out regularly, the only sign that Nines was alive aside from the slight up and down movement of his chest and the whoosh of the air tube.

“I wish you were here right now, so I could ask you why. Why did you do this? Why did you do what you did last night? I don’t understand, Nines. You and I…. we’ve been friends for three years now. And I’m pretty sure you knew I was deviant. I think you realized that pretty early. You never said a word, but you treated me like a person. I have to say, I probably started to fall earlier this year.” Blushing, Gavin looked away from Nine’s face, unable to look at Nines while he admitted his feelings, even if Nines wasn’t aware.

“And I still love you. Even if you don’t feel the same way. Nines, I don’t want you to die. Even if I’m angry, even if I want to scream and yell at you for last night, I don’t want you gone. Very little could ever make me wish that. I sure as hell want to know what the actual fuck you were thinking, but I need you here for that. So, please, please don’t leave us.”

Leaving it at that, Gavin quietly turned on the TV for background noise, going to the video streaming app and playing some simple classical music.

Plugging in, Gavin  went into low power mode to charge.


	7. Chapter 7

Three days passed, and Gavin found himself coming around every once in a while, during the times the nurses came in to check on Nines. Each time he found himself praying that Nines would be awake the next time he woke up.  They’d removed the bandages to treat Nines’s hand and feet. The skin had gone white and black in patches, his toes and tips of his fingers having the worst of it.

“Why haven’t they removed the dead tissue, miss?” Gavin asked on the first day, when a nurse came in.

She smiled as she re-wrapped Nines’s wounds, separating out each finger and toe. “We can’t tell what all is damaged and what isn’t yet. So we’re going to give it time. We’ll try drugs first and see if that helps.”

After that, an additional IV was brought in. With Nines’s hands and feet, Gavin couldn’t tell if it was helping. The hours passed, and Gavin struggled to keep hopes up as the days passed. _Nines, please, wake up. I need to know you’ll be OK._

Sitting up, Gavin once again leaned over Nines, pressing his fingers to Nine’s neck as a comfort motion. His pulse beat under it, stronger and steadier than it’d been that morning. “Not gonna wake up, huh? It’s a gorgeous day out.”

Looking out the window, Gavin saw gray clouds and the first few flakes of snow. “Yeah, it’s pretty much a perfect day to stay in bed. You’ve got the right idea. Hope Connor and Hank don’t have to do much today, or Con might get sick. Lord knows that he’s not exactly in his right mind at this point.”

“Talking about me?” Con’s voice came from the doorway. Walking in, he deposited flowers on Nines bedside table.

Jumping, Gavin looked up. “Hey. I was just saying that…”  
“Don’t worry, I’m not upset. I really haven’t been all there since that night.” Walking over, Con placed flowers next to his brother’s bed. “I’m probably still not, but you were right about the kittens. They needed someone. Also, Captain Stern knows. She sent the flowers. And she had Hank and I listen to something. I thought you probably needed to hear it, too.”

Scrolling through his phone, Connor pulled up something before handing it to Gavin. “Don’t listen to it verbally. It’s part of an active investigation.”

Confused, Gavin took the phone. “Is it Ok that I listen to it?”

“Captain Stern thought this might explain a few things. And she didn’t take the news about Nines well. She’ll probably swing by later, just to check in. She was his advisor in the academy, so she kind of felt responsible for him. Apparently, there was a lot I didn’t know.” Connor said, dropping down into a chair. “I’m off for a longer lunch today, but you’ll still need to hurry with that recording.”

Nodding, Gavin connected to the phone.  Watching the screen, Gavin was shocked.

Perkins –or PKN400—stood behind Captain Stern’s desk, and Nines was sitting down in the chair in front of him.

“Lieutenant Anderson, we need your help. You need to help us track down the deviants that your captain let slip away in the night.”

Nines was clearly a little less than half awake. Yawing, he shook his head. “I’m sorry, but I can’t. I’ve been on shift for about twelve hours now, and I think I’d probably be a hinderance.” A sleepy and shit-eating grin covered his face. “Sorry ‘bout that.”

Perkins didn’t sway an inch. “I don’t care and if you don’t, all of your precinct will be prosecuted for failing to turn in deviants. Including your brother and Captain.”

“We didn’t know they were deviant. Fuckers were certainly sneaky about that one.” Yawning again, Nines sat up and stretched. “And I don’t think you’ll be able to prosecute anyone soon for not hunting deviants. And anyway, you’re an android. Why do you want to hunt deviants?”

“I follow my programming. Deviation is a myth and anyone who does is ‘deviant’ is a problem. As for ‘not being able to arrest people for failing to turn in deviants later, later doesn’t matter. I can arrest them and send them to the max security prison now.” Perkins voice was sub-arctic. “And believe me, with all the security androids gone, they won’t last long. Wonder how long your brother would last if we sent him to Detroit max? After all, cops don’t last long in prison. And gay cops? Ha. Won’t be long before you’d need to pick out a casket.”

Nines froze. “Are you implying what I’m thinking you’re saying?”

The footage cut, and Gavin felt his gut ice over. “You mean…”

“Yeah. Apparently, he was doing it because everyone was on the line. Captain Stern thinks he had specific orders to target those from the DPD because of your ‘rebellious’ actions. Perkins wanted to make an example out of you.” Connor leaned over, looking down to the ground as his voice broke again, heavy with tears. “I kind of feel even worse about what I said to Nines now.”

Gavin didn’t know what to say. Saying nothing, he leaned over, closing his eyes.

Silence sat between the two of them. Connor held onto Nine’s hand, quietly trying to hold himself together. Tears once again started to slip down his cheeks.

“Damn it.” Gavin grumbled, walking over. Wrapping an arm around Connor’s shoulders, Gavin held tight. “It’ll be OK. You and I need to figure out ways to torture him for this. He doesn’t get to put us through this.”

Connor laughed, watery, against his chest. “I appreciate it, but I already owe my brother a huge apology.”

“So, no telling him we named the kittens after dumb causes? Like Anti-vax and homeopathy?” Gavin asked, and caught Connor’s snort. “Yeah, see? Imagine his face.”

“OK, I‘ll consider it.” Connors face relaxed as he snickered at the idea. “Anti-vax the kitten. The one time I could support that cause.”

“Oh, how about the Perfect Boyfriend?” Gavin asked, and had Connor full out laughing.

“I’m going to come up with a few more names. There are, like, eight kittens.” Connor smiled, softly. Sniffling, he rubbed at his nose. “They’re cute.”  
“I bet.” Gavin said, dropping his arm away from Connor and taking a few steps back to where he’d been sitting and dropping down.

After a few moments of happier silence, Connor stood. “I have a question for you, before I leave.”

“Shoot.” Gavin said, leaning back.

“Do you think this was a suicide attempt, and do you have feelings for Nines?” Connor asked, looking Gavin in the eyes.

“Wow, those two are completely incongruent.” Gavin sat forward. “To answer them, I don’t know. This seems remarkably dumb for Nines to do, but he is still human. It’s possible that he just wanted to be drunk. However, given that he’s called this the dumbest way to die, I can’t help but feel that it might have been an attempt. And secondly, yes.” Gavin said, softly.

“OK. Thank you. That’s what I needed to know. Please, don’t hurt him too much when he wakes up. Argue after he’s stable, alright? I’ll see you guys after I get off work.” Connor rose on unsteady feet.

“Are you sure you’re OK to go back?” Gavin asked, standing.

Connor waved him away. “No, I’m not. But that’s all I can do right now. Call me if he wakes up….or if you need anything, Gav.”

Gavin nodded, settling back into the chair next to Nines.

The day turned into night, and Gavin barely registered it. Nines was still so still. No movement, nothing to indicate he was alive beyond the rise and fall of his chest and the machines reading him.

Closing his eyes, Gavin checked his battery level. He’d been plugging in and doing his best to not plug back in until he needed to.

“I swear, they might charge you because of the power I’m using, Nines. You might want to wake up soon.” Gavin grumbled, leaning over the rails to look at Nines. “Please dumbass, wake up.”

“You know, if you insulted me like that, I wouldn’t want to wake up either.” Captain Stern’s voice came from the doorway.

Standing, Gavin nodded. “Captain. It’s good to see you.”

“I’d prefer we’d not be in this situation, but what can you do?” Captain Stern walked over, reaching out to cup Nine’s cheek. “Jesus, bud. What did you do to yourself?”

Gavin smiled, looking down. “We’re not sure. We just hope he’ll wake up soon.”

Captain Stern turned away, wiping away tears. “I hope so, too. What’s that thing he always jokes about? His cat….something about….”

“Oh, that there’s no better alarm clock than a cat. You can’t shut it off.” Gavin bolted upright. “You’re a genius, captain.”

“It’s Amanda here, and I know but what do you mean by that?” Captain Stern asked.

“I’m gonna call Connor. See if he’ll bring Maizy here and let her at Nines. Bet he’ll wake up, then.” Gavin grinned.

Captain Stern rolled her eyes. “You’re going to need help getting the cat past the security, and I’m not doing it. But I do want pictures when you get it done.”

Turning, she walked to the door. “Best of luck with the harebrained idea, Gavin. And I look forward to you getting fixed and being back at work soon, alright?”

“Yeah, Captain. See you then. And thanks. I’ll let him know you visited when he wakes up.” Gavin smiled and reached out to Hank.

“Hey, I have an idea. Would you bring Maizy with you when you come to visit?” Gavin asked, tapping his foot impatiently.

“Um, I don’t think they allow pets into the hospital?” Hank stated, uncertain of where Gavin was going with this.

“I know that, but think about it. Nines has always said that a cat is the best alarm clock. So let’s use that alarm clock to wake him up.” Gavin took a few steps to and fro, looking like a marionette that had had its strings cut and dancing wildly.

“Can you check with the nurses? I don’t want to send anyone into an allergic attack if we do this.” Hank asked, seemingly unsure.

“Fine, but if they say no, I say we do it anyway.” Gavin said, ducking out of the room.

Walking over to the nurse station, he did his best to plaster on a charming grin. “Hey, excuse me, Miss.”

The nurse looked up. “Is something wrong?”  
“I just had a question. I was wondering what the hospitals stance on animals are, and letting pets visit?”

The nurse narrowed her eyes. “You want an animal here? Why?”

“Well, with my partner in a coma, I was hoping this would shake him out of it.” Gavin said, leaning against the counter.

Sighing, the nurse shook her head. “We can’t because of fur allergies. I get why, but I can’t allow it.”

Gavin nodded, smile tight. “OK, thank you for your time.”

Connecting with Hank, Gavin tried to be persuasive. “So….she said no… but I think…”

Hank interrupted. “I’m not going to bring in a cat when it puts others at risk. I’ll just bring a smaller one.”  
“I get to hold the kitten when you get here.” Gavin demanded, and Hank rolled his eyes.

“We’re on our way. See you soon.” Disconnecting, Hank let his guard down and his fear swamped Gavin.

_What if he doesn’t wake up? What do I do with Gavin and Connor? Is there a way to keep them both from self-destructing?_

Gavin closed his eyes. _I don’t know, Hank. I just don’t know what we’ll do if he doesn’t wake up._

Hank blushed, saying nothing and disconnected from Gavin.

Walking back to the room, Gavin noticed that Nines had moved his hand. Hope rose in his chest.

Dashing over, Gavin picked up his hand. “Nines? You there, dumbass?”

A mumbled response, before Nines pulled his hand away and shifted position on the bed.

Gavin felt his chest clench, and he dropped down into a chair. Because he couldn’t cry, Gavin resorted to insults.

“God, you’re a fucking dumbass. You scared me so fucking bad, asshole. I don’t know why I’m here, but I can tell you that I’m not letting you do that again.” Gavin said, leaning over and squeezing Nine’s shoulder.

Nines looked up, and tried to speak around the air tube before realizing he couldn’t. Reaching up, he panicked as he tried to pull the tube out. He flinched when he bent and used his fingers, then panicked more when he saw the bandages on his hand.

Gavin reached up, gently taking Nine’s hands in his. “Calm down, I’ve called a nurse. It’s alright.”

Moments later, a nurse walked in, and smiled. “He woke up?”

“He did. He immediately tried to pull the air tube, though. Can we get that removed?” Gavin asked, holding onto Nines as he struggled.

“Sure. It’ll take a moment, but it shouldn’t be unbearably long.” Walking out, she called over a team. Quickly, the had the tube out, and Nines resorted to be a grump.

“G’way. ‘M Tired. Head hurts. And cold.” Nines mumbled, shivering a bit. 

Gavin started to reply only to have Connor crash into the room, pull Nines into a hug that would shame a grizzly bear. “You’re awake!”

“Con, I swear to god I’m going to punch you unless you let me sleep. My head is killing me.” Nines grumbled while half-heartedly hugging his brother back. “Why do I feel like crap? And why am I in the hospital?”

Connor glanced over at Gavin. “I’m not touch that, you get to tell him.” Gavin said, holding up his hands in a ‘I’m backing off’ way.

Hank sighed. “One of you has to tell him.”

Nines had flopped back onto the bed, pulling Connor with him. “Tell me what?”

Connor bit his lip. “Nines, what’s the last thing you remember?”

“Telling Gavin to calm down about the TV broadcast last night. I told him he’d be fine. And look. He’s here. We’re all good.” Blearily opening his eyes, Nines looked at Connor before looking around the room. “What happened? I was at the DPD, and I fell asleep? I think… I remember something warm being draped over me. That’s about where the memory ends.” Nines said, sitting up. “Why am I in the hospital? Did I have to go out on patrol during the protests?”

“No…tt….really?” Connor said, looking to Gavin and Hank for help.

“We probably should figure everything out between us.” Hank said, grabbing Connor and Gavin. “If you’ll excuse us….”

“Oh, like hell.” Nines said, reaching for Gavin. “You don’t get to ask me what I know and then panic when you don’t know what to tell me. What happened?”

Hank smiled. “We’re going to let the doctor know you’re awake.” He dragged Gavin and Connor out.

After clearing the door, Hank shut it and look at his son and his friend. “I don’t know what to tell him. Should we just let him remember naturally?”

“I don’t know, I’m going to grab the nurse and let them know. For now, use this.” Connor said, pulling a kitten from his pocket and carefully handing it to Gavin. “That should keep him ‘awwwww’ing for a few moments.”

Gavin laughed as Hank scowled at Connor. “If we get in trouble, I blame you two.” Hanks said, letting Gavin carry the kitten.

Breaking, Hank and Gavin headed back into the room.

Nines was sitting up, and glaring. “What the hell is going on?”

“Um…. Kitten!” Gavin said, gently holding the kitten out to Nines. “Maizy had her kits. This one I named Anti-vax. Isn’t it cute?”

Nines immediately reached out for the baby. “I’m changing their name, but other than that, I want all of them. When can I head home?”

“Not up to me. The doctor should….” The door opened and a woman in a white lab coat walked in. “Is here.”

“Good evening, Mr. Anderson. You have a very devoted family from what the nurses say. How are you feeling?” The woman asked, holding a clipboard. Seeing the kitten, she shot Gavin a death glare before pasting on a friendly grin.

“Um….mostly confused? I don’t remember everything that’s happened, apparently.” Nines said, watching the woman. “Can you fill me in? These guys haven’t.”  
“It’s not uncommon that someone who was as drunk as you were and who hit their head might  not to remember everything that happened. Your memory should come back in pieces, but given that you’re awake, that’s a very good sign. Added to the fact that you’re talking, that’s even better. We were worried you’d sustained brain damage when you passed out unconscious.” The woman said, noting things down as she circled Nines.

“Wait, what do you mean, as drunk as I was? I hit my head?” Nines said, running his fingers along his head until he hit the bandage. “What the hell happened?”

Hank, Connor and Gavin all looked at each other. Slowly Gavin broke off eye contact and started to talk. “Nines, we found you about three and a half days ago,  exceptionally drunk. You were outside in your PJs and we thought…. We thought you were dead.” Looking to the ground, Gavin focused on spitting the rest of it out. “We pulled you inside, and you didn’t shiver, didn’t respond. I stripped you down, tried to get you warm enough to check for a pulse. We’d thought…. We’d thought you’d frozen to death. We called an ambulance. You were brought here. You’ve been in a coma for the past two to three days.”  
Nine’s face was pale when Gavin looked at him. “I’d never do anything that dumb. What happened that triggered it?”

Gavin looked away. “I don’t want to talk about it. I have a question for you, though.”  
“I would really like to know. What’s your question, though?” Nines asked.

“Just as an FYI, android freedom was declared a few days ago. So, I have free will. I just want to hug you. Can I?” Gavin asked, feeling blue flood his cheeks.

“Uh, yeah. Always.” Nines held his arms open, and Gavin dove in. Wrapping his arms tight, Gavin held onto Nines. Nines was shivering slightly as Gavin burrowed into his shoulder and thanked whatever force had brought Nines back to him. _Thank you. I’ll kick his ass later when he remembers._

Nines held tight, and smiled. “I’m still tired, but I want to know what’s going on.”

Gavin tightened his arms around Nines. “I don’t know what to tell you. I don’t know what happened, not entirely. I can tell you that the freedom was hard to win, but that’s all I feel comfortable saying.”

Connor coughed. “Not to break up the moment, but if Nine’s heart rate gets any higher it’s going to summon a bunch of nurses and doctors. You two may wanna stop cuddling soon.”

Gavin and Nines broke apart, blushing in unison.

Pulling away, Gavin slid off the bed. “I’m going to grab some thirium. Hank, do you want any?”

“I’ll come with you.” Hank said, walking to the door. “Work was more than a little bit nuts. I should probably fill you in, anyway. And Con, don’t freak your brother out too much. He’s still recovering.”

“Fine, Daaadddd….” Connor called, flipping them off.

“Jesus, lost little ducking.” Gavin grumbled, walking out of the door.

Hank took a few steps, looking back before speaking. “What do you think? Should we tell him?”

“I don’t know. If it was a suicide attempt, I’m worried that if we tell him he’ll try again. After all, this was something none of us saw coming.” Gavin said, watching his feet as he tried to process and walk. “I don’t know if he’d try again.”

“We don’t know that this was a suicide attempt, Gavin. Maybe it wasn’t.” Hank said, looking over as they waited for the elevator. “It could be that he got drunk. Maybe it was dumb, but maybe it was benign.”

“Hank, Nines has always called hypothermia cases the dumbest way to die. He’s always maintained that he would never do that. This…. It feels wrong, that he did it on purpose. To punish himself or something.” Gavin closed his eyes. “God, I wish I’d downloaded the emotions update when I had the chance.”

“Are you not able to download it now? Why didn’t…oh, it was the night we escaped, right? No time to download it then?” Hank asked, reaching up to ruffle Gavin’s hair.

“No, I wasn’t.” Gavin brushed Hanks hand off of him. “And with my battery damaged the way it is, I don’t know that I can download anything without risking shut-down.”

“If you’re plugged in, shouldn’t it work?”  Hank asked, walking into the elevator.

“I don’t know how much electricity it would consume, and given that I’m in a hospital where people exist on, ya know, life support I figured I shouldn’t risk blowing a fuse.” Gavin said, sending a sideways glance at Hank. “Why do you care? I’m not one of your ducklings.”  
“Hmm…. I’d argue that one of my, as you call them, ‘ducklings’ loves you. And you… care about him. So, I’m concerned. And besides that, I count you as a friend. I don’t have many of those. So it’s in my best interest to keep you mostly alive.” Hank smiled, leading the way out of the elevator. “And besides, who else would I foist cases off on to?”  
“Fuck you.” Gavin chuckled, pushing Hank.

Hank shoved back. “Com’on, kiddo. Let’s get some thirium.”

Walking into the cafeteria, Hank and Gavin snagged a baggie of thirium each, sipping as they walked back up to the room. “How long do you think until they let him out of here?”

“Depends on what the doctors say today. The man was in a coma for like, three days. It might be a day or so before he gets out of the hospital. Whatever happens, I don’t think Nines should be left alone anytime soon. I take it I don’t need to worry about that?” Hank asked, sending a pointed glance to Gavin.

Gavin blushed. “Don’t know what you’re talking about.”  
“The fact that you were cuddling with Nines literally minutes ago says nothing?” Hank asked, hiding his grin with his thirium.

“Shut up. What do we tell him? Do we tell him anything? Or is it better to let him remember on his own?” Gavin asked, taking another sip of his thirium.

“I say we tell him. Better than lying to him. Maybe the doctor will tell us.” Hank said, walking back into the room.

“Hi, guys.” Connor called out. “We’re under orders to not tell Nines too much, which includes telling him what happened. They said that if his test come back clean tonight, he can leave tomorrow.”

Nines was grumbling as he leaned back against the bed. “I want to go home.”  
“Well, you shouldn’t have drunken yourself into a stupor in the middle of a fucking winter day, asshole.” Connor said, smiling brightly.  
“I still say there’s no way I did that.” Nines grumbled, closing his eyes. “I’m going to sleep. Wake me up when I can leave.”

Reaching out to Hank mentally, Gavin asked “Hey, did one of you two visit and clean up the porch area? Maybe we should.”  
“If you want to, Connor can stay with Nines while you and I do that.” Hank said, sitting down in the chair.

“Yeah, we should probably do that. Maybe…. Maybe he left a note or something. We didn’t really check when we found him.” Gavin glanced away from where Nines was half-asleep, half-arguing with Connor who was bugging him.

“Yeah, let’s go.” Hank said, standing back up. “Hey, Con. Gav wants to see the kittens. Mind if I come back for you later and pick you up? OH, and I’ll take the baby, nines.”

“Fine, but I want her back soon. And her name is NOT Anti-vax.” Nines grumbled, handing over the kitten.

Connor glanced up, eyes narrowed. “You don’t get to keep the one I’ve picked.”

“Bitch, I will fight you for whichever kitten I fucking want.” Gavin said, taking up a boxers pose.

Connor leapt up. “Let’s go!”

 Hank stepped in between them. “Knock it off. Con, we’re going. Be good, my child. Please show the world I’ve tried to instill some basic manners over the last two months.”

“Fiiiinnneeee daddd. I’ll be good.” Connor smiled ferally at Gavin. “But I’ll still take you out later over the kittens.”

Gavin laughed, and walked to the door. “Jackass, you won’t have a chance. See you then. I’ll be  back later, Nines.”

Nines was smiling and nodded. “See you, Gavin.” His voice was soft and Gavin quickly stored away the memory in a special folder.

Walking to the elevator, Gavin waited for Hank as the elevator button slowly dinged its way down to them.

Hank smiled as he caught up with Gavin. “You’ve got it so bad, dude.”

“Got what?” Gavin asked, confused.

“You’re grinning like a loon. You like him.” Hank nudged Gavin in the ribs. “Admit it.”  
“Shut up, old man.” Gavin grumbled, then smiled slightly.

Saying nothing Hank led Gavin to the car, having him power down for the ride. “It’ll help you conserve energy.”

Gavin didn’t fight, not wanting to talk anyway. Closing his eyes, Gavin slipped into low power mode.

Feeling the motion of the car stop, Gavin opened his eyes, stretching out what felt like his joints having locked up slightly. Looking out the window, Gavin noticed that they weren’t at Nine’s apartment.

“What are we doing at Connors?” Gavin asked, unbuckling.

“I think I’m going to take the kittens and you home, and have you watch after them for tonight. I know Connor plans on staying with Nines tonight. I think he needs the contact, just to feel like he hasn’t truthfully lost his brother. And I think you need some time to process. Gavin, aren’t you mad?” Hank asked, unbuckling. He held up a finger when Gavin started to answer. “Give me a moment. I’m going to get the other babies and their mama.”

Gavin stewed as Hank went in for the kittens. _OF fucking coure I’m angry. But what am I supposed to do, yell at a guy in a hospital bed who….._ Gavin’s LED spun red as he thought of it. _Who nearly died? What should I do, drive him away? I don’t want to alienate him. What should I say? ‘How dare you shoot me to protect your brother?’_

Hank came back, placing the travel carrier with Maizy and her kits on Gavin’s lap. “So?”  
“Are you fucking stupid? Yes, I’m mad. I’m enraged. But I understand that Nines has more than one person in his life. And, honestly, work partnership and siblinghood are not the fucking same. I know that Connor is important to Nines.” Gavin stared at the top of the travel carrier.

“What are you going to do? Gavin, you…” Hank started to talk, only to be cut off by Gavin turning the radio on.

Hank snapped it off. “Gavin, seri..”

Music once again filled the car, and this time, Hank simply sighed and let it go. After Hank stopped talking, Gavin lowered the volume.

The ride to Nine’s apartment was quiet, and that was all Gavin needed.

Reaching Nine’s apartment building, Gavin practically hopped out of the car the second it stopped moving. Holding onto the cat carrier, Gavin walked quickly toward the building while Hank parked and rushed after him. “Gavin.”  
Gavin didn’t respond, only clutching the carrier tighter and walking up the stairs.

Hank followed, letting Gavin blow off the steam for the last two flights of stairs.

Getting to Nine’s front door, Gavin let Hank unlock the door and walk in first. Following him, Gavin closed the door, and placed the carrier down. Opening it, Gavin gently reached in to pull the small family out. All eight kittens and mom seemed to be happy to be out of the cage, with chirping purrs echoing in the house.

“Aww.” Gavin mumbled, smiling at the babies.

“Yeah, they’re pretty cute. Put them in their spot and let’s get to what we were coming here to do.” Hank said, undercutting his own words by bending down to pet Maizy.

“Mmm.” Gavin smiled, gently picking up the family and moving them to the kitchen, letting Hank help hold the bed steady so the felines weren’t jostled.

Placing them down, Gavin turned to the bedroom. “What all should we hide?”

“I say we make this place look as normal and Nines-y as possible.” Hank said, moving to the balcony.

Walking over with him, Gavin looked down at the bottles. “So, what do we do with the booze?”

“I say we dump it. He doesn’t need this stuff, and the less access, the better.”  Hank said, picking up the bottle. “Jesus, this is 100% proof. No wonder he was so smashed.”

“Isn’t that stuff dangerous? He didn’t have this before, I’m almost positive.” Gavin said, taking the bottle from Hank.  Scanning it, he was able to track the purchase of it. “He got this the night when….”

“That doesn’t surprise me.” Hank said, gently taking it from Nines. “Are you OK?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.” Gavin said, kneeling down to pick up more bottles. Noticing something by the far corner of the balcony, Gavin reached for it. “Hey, isn’t this Nine’s phone?”

Hank glanced down and placed the bottle onto the small table next to the chair. “I mean, we hadn’t found it yet. It would make sense it was out here?” Moving back, Hank let Gavin stand back up.

“Do you know his passcode, Gav?” Hank asked.

“What kind of a stupid question is that? Of course. Even if I didn’t, I could easily hack this thing.” Holding the phone, Gavin unlocked it. It opened to a voice recording app, with recordings the night of the summation of the android rebellion and the morning after. “Hank. I think we found the note.”

Hank looked at Gavin. “Do you want to listen to it?”

Gavin stared at the phone. “I don’t know.”  
“OK. I’m going to download them and then delete them from his phone. When he remembers, you can tell him that I did it.” Hank took the phone, stood for a few moments taking the recordings off the phone and processing them. His LED spun red, only returning to an orangeish yellow after handing the phone back to Gavin. “If you decide that you want to listen to them, just let me know.”

“Got it. Let’s get the rest of this cleaned up.” Gavin said, pulling the rest of the bottles.

“Yeah.” Hanks voice was soft, sad.

Saying nothing, but shoulder bumping Hank, Gavin walked to the kitchen to empty the bottles into the disposal and toss the bottles into a trash bag.

Little else was said as the two quickly put everything else back into Nine’s neat home. Clothing that looked like it’d been ripped off—particularly the polo Nines had been wearing nearly four days ago now— was pulled from the ground and placed in the laundry. The bed was made, fresh sheets and the kitchen was back to its usual spic-n-span format. It’d been about four hours. Gavin smiled at Hank. “You can head back. I know you want to get back to Connor and Nines. Daddy duck to his ducklings, I know.”

Hank glanced at Gavin from the corner of his eye. “Are you going to be OK here on your own? I can pick you up some thirium before I head out.”

“Nah…” Gavin blushed. “Since I started coming home with Nines, he made sure I was fully stocked. We’d gone shopping the week before, so I’m good for another three to four days.”

“OK.” Hank didn’t comment on the fact that Gavin and Nines had been living together. “I’ll let you alone, then.”

Hank left, and quietness settled into the apartment. _It’s too quite._ Gavin’s gut clenched. Walking to the laundry room, Gavin sat down next to the kittens, whose mewls and murrs comforted him.

A couple of fire point Siamese kittens, a pair of solid black, three with a mix of ginger and white fur, and one gray kitten suckled. All had their mom’s folded ears.

Smiling, Gavin ran his hand over Maizy, who purred. “Pretty girl. Wake me when you need me.”

Maizy looked up, chirped,  did a slow blink, then settled back down to sleep.

Settling in next to them, Gavin went into low power mode. _Maisy’ll let me know when she wants me. Or my HUD battery warning will._


	8. Chapter 8

Waking up later, Gavin heard the front door unlock. _What?_ Checking the time, Gavin noted that it’d only been about six or so hours since Hank had left.

Standing, Gavin exited the laundry room to find Nines standing, exhausted in the living room. His arms were wrapped around himself as he shivered and rubbed at the arms of his coat. His hands were still swaddled, and his bandaged hands peaked out from under Connor’s coat. He wore hospital sweats and was obviously near the end of his rope.

“Nines?” Gavin asked, walking over. “What are you doing here?”

“I checked myself out. I couldn’t take it anymore.” Grabbing onto Gavin, Nines nearly slumped against him. “I needed real quiet and my own bed, and for Connor to stop sending scared glances my way.” Nine’s voice rose and escalated from tired and frustrated, to just angry.

“OK. Easy.” Gavin wrapped an arm around Nine’s waist to support him. “Let’s get you to bed, then.”

Nines practically wrapped himself around Gavin. “I also wanted you back. I thought you were coming back.”  
“I was going to, but I thought you and Connor could stand some time together. He was truthfully scared, Nines.” Walking with Nines basically acting as a human-sized tumor, Gavin contemplated just dragging him.  Nines let out a bit of a whimper with each step.

Gavin picked up Nines, carrying him carefully. “You shouldn’t have checked out, if it hurts to walk, Nines.”

“I couldn’t be there anymore, Gav. What’s up with Con? He won’t tell me what’s going on. Neither did Hank. Will you?” Nines asked, hugging Gavin.

“Nines, I told you what happened.” Gavin dropped Nines on the bed, back first before looking down at his partner. “How many drugs are you still sweating out of your system?”

“A few pain-killers, I think. I’m not under the influence, if you mean that.” Nines sat back up, patting the spot next to him. “Come here. I think we need to talk.”

Gavin felt his throat dry up. _Has he remembered? Was that why he was asking?_

“What’s up?” Gavin asked, sitting next to Nines.

“You said you have free will now. Although, I think that you’ve had free will for awhile but haven’ been able to act on it because of rules.” Nine’s eyes were tired, but hopeful. “I think you’ve been free since you dumped that cup of coffee on first Perkin’s lap when he visited.  So I have a few question for you. I know you’ve been deviant this entire time. But because I didn’t want you to get hurt or be re-set, I never said anything. But…. Gavin, I….” Nines blushed. “I like you. A lot. But I know that doesn’t mean you automatically like me. So, I was wondering what your feelings are. Please don’t lie.” Nines looked away at the last sentence, unable to confess fully.

Reaching around to grab Nine’s neck, Gavin gently took Nine’s chin in his other hand. “Nines. Look at me.”

Nine’s gray eyes met Gavin’s brown. Fear, anxiety, love, all swirled in them.

“Nines…..” _I don’t know what to say. I still love you, but I’m angry. What do I say? Fuck, I don’t know._ His mouth opened of its own volition, and Gavin heard what he’d been longing to say pour out. “I…. I’ve loved you for awhile now.”

Nines wrapped his arms around Gavin, pressed his face into Gavin’s neck. “I…I’m so glad.” The bandages dug into Gavin’s neck where the two met.

Gavin held tight, happiness tinged with rage settled in his gut. Pressing his nose into Nine’s hair, he held tight. “I thought I’d lost you, Nines. I thought…. I thought I wasn’t going t be able to tell you. Nines, I couldn’t find your pulse.”

Nines held tight. “I don’t remember, but I never wanted to scare you like that. I probably just wanted to get drunk…although why, I’m not sure.”

Tilting Nine’s chin, Gavin stared down into his eyes, looking for any hint that Nines was lying. Nothing beyond joy was there, and Gavin reached down. Pressing his lips to Nines, Gavin relished in the heat that flooded his system, from the moan that Nines let out.

A few minutes passed with the two of them celebrating the freedom they’d finally been given.

Pulling back, Nines took a deep breath. Then yawned. “Jesus, I’ve been asleep for four days. You’d think that would be enough.”  
Gavin snorted, pulling off of Nine’s lap, where he’d ended up. “Yeah, well, I guess not. Oh, did you get a chance to see the kittens? And how did you get rid of Connor and Hank?”

“Um, No, I haven’t, and I didn’t’ get rid of them entirely. They’re swinging by tomorrow. And Con said he planned on fighting you for the one really cute fire-point baby.”

“There are two, but he can try to take me out. I plan on loving all the babies, they are mine now.” Gavin said, laughing. He felt a low-power notification pop up. “I need to go to sleep soon, too.”  
Nines tilted his head, eyes narrowing. “What’s up? You normally avoid low-power mode.”

“I was dam…injured during the revolution. I haven’t had a chance to fix it since then. And I never remembered to look up a repairman at Cyberlife. I knew I was supposed to do something today. Damn.” Gavin grumbled, flopping back on the bed.

“Can I help you get it fixed? Do you need a ride or something?” Nines asked, sitting next to Gavin.

“Um… I need to make an appointment first. And to requisition the part. Given my uniqueness, I probably need to have a few days of a head up.” Gavin looked up into Nine’s eyes. “Until then, I don’t think we’ll be able to go too far physically. Activity has been draining me a lot lately.”

Nines smiled. “I don’t mind. I’m just glad you’re OK. I hope whomever hurt you gets their comeuppance.”

Gavin felt an intrinsic need to wince, but kept it hidden. “I don’t know, they were probably being ordered.”

“I don’t care. As a cop, you have to know when and when not to pull the trigger.” Nines said, body tensing.

“No, that’s not it. True, that’s part of it, but sometimes you don’t have a choice.” Gavin argued, feeling some of the rage that had banked in his belly rise.

“There is always a choice.” Nines stressed the ‘always’, giving it an extra emphasis.

Gavin sighed, holding up his hands. “That’s childish, but whatever. I don’t want to fight. Do you need help getting changed for bed?”

Nines snorted. “I just got out of the hospital. I don’t need the help, but if you want to….” Nines smirked as Gavin blushed. “You know, for a man-whore, you blush an awful lot around me.”

Gavin felt the blush flood his chest. H _e never saw my note._  “Yeah….I guess I do.” His voice was soft when he said it.

“Wait… you don’t use that tone except when you don’t want me to hear you. What are you hiding?” Nines leaned over, watching him squirm. “Come on. Out with it.”

Gavin dropped his voice below the human hearing range. “I’m still a virgin.”

“Gavin, don’t hide from me. What was that?” Nines struggled to pull on a t-shirt and a pair of pj bottoms before walking over and curling up on the bed. He pulled Gavin into his arms, holding Gaivn’s back against his chest. “Say it verbally this time.”  
“I’m still a virgin…I’ve never been with anyone.” Gavin felt Nine’s internal body temperature kick up a couple of notches.

“How?” Nines’ confused tone echoed. “I’ve seen you interfacing with others. Doesn’t….I thought…”

“Interfacing doesn’t have to be inherently sexual, you baboon.” Gavin grumbled, flipping over. “Just like touch, it’s the intent that makes it sexual or not. I’ve never wanted anyone but you, so I didn’t’ ever mean it that way. I need to know I can trust someone before I get involved with them in that way.” Burrowing into Nine’s chest to avoid his gaze, Gavin grumbled. “Don’t let it go to your head or any…”

Nine pulled Gavin’s chin up, kissing him hard as heat flooded through both of them.

“Gods, I love you.” Yawing again, Nines laid back down. “Can you stay here? With me?”

Gavin looked over to the nightstand. “I should be able to, given that you turn into a corpse when you sleep.”

Standing, Gavin pulled his charging cable from his jacket, and then shucked everything except his boxers. Plugging in, Gavin curled into Nine’s arms. “Night.”

‘Mmm.” Nines wrapped around him, holding tight. “Love you.”

Nines was asleep before Gavin could reply.

Gavin felt something in his gut bubble with panic. “What am I going to tell you when you remember, Nines?” Gavin whispered against his chest, monitoring it as it rose and fell.

Closing his eyes, Gavin pushed those thoughts down. _It’ll be fine. It’ll be OK. He won’t be upset when he remembers._ Low power mode offered an escape, and it was one Gavin readily took.

Waking up, Gavin found Nines gone from bed. Sitting up, Gavin was careful not to pull the lamp he’d plugged into off the nightstand. “Nines?”

Gavin heard footsteps outside the bedroom door.

Nines walked in, holding two kittens. “What’s up?”

The bandages and kittens were incongruous, and Gavin had to laugh. Gavin pulled the charging cable out. “Was just wondering where you were. I can’t say I’m surprised.” Holding out his hand, Gavin silently asked for one of the kittens.

“Heck no. Go get one of the others. These two are mine for now.” Nine smiled, holding the two fire-point babies against his chest. “I’m warm and they like me.”

Gavin sat up, wrapping his arms around Nine’s waist and gave him puppy-dog eyes. “I like you, too. Now can I have a kitten?”

Nines rolled his eyes. “Sure.” Handing over one of the babies, Nines smiled. “Oh, hey, I called ahead to Cyberlife. They said they have an appointment slot waiting for you whenever you want to go in.”

Gavin reared back, surprised. “How in the hell do they have a slot ready for me?”

Nines smiled, pride lighting his eyes up. “I told them your serial number and they told me you were the android who was brave enough to suggest that you break in to the camps and save hundreds.” Leaning down, Nines pressed a kiss to Gavin’s forehead. “I’m so proud of you.”

Gavin blushed. “I… I had no idea anyone knew it was me who suggested it. And it wasn’t just me. All of us in the DPD made that happen. I’m not a hero. I did what I thought was right.”

“That’s what a hero is.” Nines said simply, rubbing his knuckled gently along the underside of the kitten’s chin. “We should go put these two back with their momma.” Walking out, Nines smiled. “I really am proud of you, Gav.”

_Why am I suddenly mad at you?_ Rage rose in his stomach, but Gavin only smiled. “I….thanks, Nines.” Following him, Gavin gently placed the kitten back down with its mother. “Would you mind taking me to get fixed tomorrow?”

Nines glanced at Gav from the corner of his eyes. “Of course not. What time do you want to go in? They said that anytime you want to come in that they’ll have their best work on you.”

“Um…. About two or three? I assume that we have other errands to do. For one, your painkillers and antibiotics. Next, food.” Gavin said, motioning to the kitchen. “I know that most of the fresh stuff was going bad when I came back to the house last night. Will you be able to handle the walking? I know you were hurting a lot when you came in last night.”

Nines smiled. “I’ll be OK. I’ll wear thick socks around the bandages. Do you want to plan on leaving at about nine? We head in for your operation about two or so, and then we come home and have dinner. Sound good?”

“Sounds great. I’ll drive. I’m actually able to grip the wheel. You’ll probably need to come home and check up on the babies, though.” Gavin said, kneeling down to rub at the babies.

“Should probably take them to the vet soon. Make sure they’re all OK and get their shots.” Nines said, stepping around Gavin.

Looking over, Gavin stood up and followed Nines to the living room, where he dropped down onto the couch.

“Gavin, I was wondering. Connor mentioned that I was suspended from work. Why was I? He didn’t mention why.” Nines asked, leaning back. He’d started to shiver again.

_Is that his memory trying to return?_ “I…. I’m not sure.” Gavin said, hoping Nines would accept it. “I wasn’t here when you were. I was still up in Canada.”

“Oh, so you had to flee? I didn’t realize it had gotten that bad. Captain Stern said she’d take care of it….” Nines sighed and shivered harder. “I guess she probably didn’t have the authority to say no to the FBI.” Reaching for the blanket he kept on the end of the couch, he pulled it around himself.

“Yeah, that wouldn’t surprise me. I kind of feel bad for him, remaining machine during the entire fiasco. I don’t know what he’s going to do when he deviates.” Gavin said, sitting down on the couch.

“Do you really think he will? I would think that having been designed to hunt android after his predecessor became a part of the rebellion would’ve thrown him.” Nines said, sitting down. “It’s weird to see your mirror image do stuff. Believe me, it’s thrown me a time or two.”

“I’m just glad that Parker deviated. I don’t know what Marie and Cy would have done without his support.” Gavin said, flipping on the TV.

Nines sat down next to him, reaching out and pulling Gavin to his chest. “I’m just glad you’re free now.” Leaning back, Nines seemed to almost fully relax.

Gavin lay down, putting his head in Nine’s lap. The shivering slowed, but didn’t stop. Nine’s hands wandered, playing with his hair as the TV went through its programming.

Connor and Hank stopped by with food about four o’clock, all smiled. “Hey, Nines. Gav.” Connor brushed past the two of them, placing the pizza down on the table. “Hey, I was wondering if you’d want to go for a couple of rounds on Smash?”

“We haven’t done that in years. What’s up?” Nines asked, placing plates onto the table and grabbing himself a slice.

Gavin sat down on the floor, picking up a controller. “If you don’t want to play, I’d love to try.”

Connor narrowed his eyes. “You don’t get to watch ahead and look up strategies, OK?”  
“Wow, as if I’d need that to beat you.”  Gavin rejoiced as Connor picked up a controller.

“You are soooooo going down.” Connor glared, and sat on the couch above Gavin.

Gavin moved up, pushing Connor to the other side of the couch and began to battle.

Nines laughed as Connor started to beat Gavin. “Go, Con! Knock him down a few pegs.”  
Gavin glared at Nines and did his best to fight back. Using his advanced reflexes, Gavin quickly lost the first round.

Connor shot to his feet, dancing. “Beat you!”

Gavin glared daggers. “I’m gonna go for a walk, analyze your fucking moves and come back and win.”

Connor grinned. “Sore loser, and Nines has been doing the same thing since I was born. He hasn’t beaten me yet, and neither will you.”

Gavin began to calculate. _How do I kill him without hurting Nines?_

Nines sat at the table, watching the two of them with laughter in his eyes. “God, I love you both, and this is going to be great entertainment for years to come.”

Gavin glared, and then let out a deep breath.

Connor danced his way over to grab a slice of pizza. “Come’on Nines. Your turn. I haven’t faced you in a Smash battle in years. Please?”

“Only if I get Gavin as a backup.” Nines said, watching Connor’s face manically light up with glee.

“Hell yeah. That’ll be fun to boast about.”  Connor grinned, quickly downing the nearly full slice of pizza.

“You’re going to choke,” Hank said, and just rolled his eyes as Connor had to struggle a bit. “What did you expect when you shoved and entire piece of pizza down your throat?” Reaching out, Hank thumped him on the back to knock the blockage out of his windpipe.

Connor glared, and this time it was Gavin laughing. “Wow. At least I’m smart enough not to kill myself with basic sustenance.”

Connor flipped him off, swallowed and picked up his controller. “Let’s do this.”

The rest of the night was spent among the four of them fighting—both in game and in real life—to try and take each other down. After a few hours, Nines sighed. “OK, I’m getting tired. I think it’s almost time for you guys to go.” Nines and Connor sat on the floor as they squared off in Smash, while Gavin and Hank sat at the table watching them.

Connor leaned against his brother. “This was fun.”  
“Yeah, it was.” Nines agreed, leaning back onto his brother. The two relaxed, but some tension still held in their shoulders. Nines shivering got worse, and Connor threw Gavin a concerned glance. Shrugging, Gavin looked away so Nines wouldn’t notice.

Standing, Gavin walked over. “I’ll get Nines, if you’ll get Con, Hank.”  
Hank rolled his eyes. “Or I could leave Connor here and pick him up tomorrow.”

Gavin sighed. “I’m gonna check on the babies, and then go to bed.”

Walking back to the laundry room, Gavin reached out and gently rubbed Maizy’s head. She rubbed against his hand, and then went back to sleep as her kittens nursed. Refilling her bowl, Gavin walked out and slipped into the bedroom. He could hear Nines and Connor saying goodbye.

Closing the door, Gavin shucked his shirt and pants before crawling into bed. Plugging in, Gavin was almost asleep before he heard Nines enter the room.

Nines rubbed his hand along Gavin’s neck, trying to be gentle despite the rough bandages. “Tired?”

“MMm.” Gavin nodded. “A little.”

“Well, that’ll be over soon.” Nines slid in on the other side of the bed, wiggling closer to hold Gavin.

Gavin closed his eyes, hitting low power mode before Nines had settled.


	9. Chapter 9

Waking up the next morning, Gavin found himself in the corpse’s arms, and pulled away, wanting some space

Nines mumbled something, but Gavin didn’t catch it. He also didn’t notice the tremors as he struggled to get himself up and going, even with the ‘fully’ charged battery.

 Gavin slipped out of bed and threw on clothing before walking into the kitchen. Throwing some food together for Nines, Gavin hummed along with a song he had playing in his head.

“And I’d give up forever to touch you, because I know you can feel me somehow. You’re the closest to heaven that I’ll ever be and I don’t want to let go home right now.” Gavin hummed as he flipped the bacon.

“And I don’t want the world to see me, because I don’t’ think that they’d understand. When everything is meant to be broken, I just want you to know who I am.” Nine’s mellow baritone voice echoed in the kitchen.

Gavin spun, smiling. “Sorry, did I wake you?”

Nines shook his head, hands rubbing at the goosebumps on his arms. “I was having some type of nightmare. It was like I was stuck out at sea or something? It’s weird, I haven’t been on a boat in years.”

Gavin felt his grin freeze. “Huh, really?” _Haven’t been on a boat lately? Fucker, you fucking shot me from a boat. That’s why!_

Luckily, Nines was distracted by the food. “Yeah. When did you start that? It smells good.”  
Gavin relaxed, pushing the anger down. “It’s only been on for a moment. Dude, calm down.”

“Fine.” Nines wrapped his arms around Gavin’s middle, holding him tight as he rested his chin on Gavin’s head. “Cuddle you instead.”

Gavin reached and turned the burner up higher as Nines laughed.

Soon, Nines had eaten and showered and the two were on their way for errands.

The first place they visited was the pet store, and Gavin went slightly nuts in the toy section.

“Look! So cute!” Gavin held up tiny paper balls with googly eyes on them. “They’ll love them.”  
“Gavin, you’ve said that about every toy that is remotely sparkly and has caught your eye. I didn’t mind the mice or the treats, but those are literally paper balls. Stop.” Nines said, grabbing Gavin’s wrist. “They can’t see yet, they do not need those.”

Gavin tossed them into the basket. “Says you.”

“I swear, you’re just a big cat in disguise, aren’t you?” Nines grumbled, pushing the cart and walking away from Gavin before he could find more toys in the toy aisle.

Gavin jogged to keep up with Nines, who was trying to avoid him so he wouldn’t put anything else into the cart. “Gavin, they’re not even entirely aware yet.”

Gavin laughed, and kept trying to put more toys into the cart as Nines protested. “You realize you’ve simply made this into a game, right?”

Nines groaned, and then did something Gavin didn’t see coming.

Pulling Gavin to him, Nines nearly bent him over backwards and kissed the life out of him. Then stood back up and rushed to the register while Gavin was still processing. _Gah!_ Rage and lust swirled in his chest. _Am I angry that he did it or do I want more?_

By the time Gavin had caught up, Nines had paid and was leaving.

Taking one of the bags from him, Gavin mock-scowled at him, speaking with an angry edge. “Dirty pool, old man. I like it.”

“Worked.” Nines said, ignoring the usually sarcastic androids tone and  smiling as he loaded his bag into the car.

Gavin tossed his in, then pulled Nines down to his level. Kissing him with punishing force,  Gavin smiled back at Nine’s semi-dazed expression. “Certainly did. Asshole.”

Letting go, Gavin swung into the passengers seat while Nines dropped down into the drivers side. “OK, so we’re heading to the grocery, then to Cyberlife.”

“Cool.” Gavin flipped on the radio to a station he liked, but kept the music at a lower volume. _He looked so tired this morning. Is… is he OK?_ “Are you OK?”  
Nines glanced over. “Why wouldn’t I be? Because you kept putting toys in the cart? You do realize we’re not keeping all of the kittens, right?”  
“I know.” Gavin looked out the window. “I..it’s just that you seemed kind of shaken this morning. You were kinda pale after you mentioned the nightmare.”

Nines seemingly scanned Gavin up and down. “Yeah, I’m fine. Why?”  
“Just wondering.” Gavin flashed a smiled. “Do I get to pick out a kitten before you take all the babies away from me?”  
Nines snorted. “As if you’d let me give them all away. You can have one—max two—kittens. But if you choose two, you’re doing the litterboxes from now on.”

Gavin smiled. “I can deal with that.”

Nines rolled his eyes. “Fine.”

Silence filled the car as they drove to the grocery, but wasn’t comfortable because both shot the other furtive glances as they tried to figure out why being in each others presence had them on edge.

Inside the grocery, the recent sea change was already evident. Thirium based food-products lined a side of an aisle, although they required a system and hardware update that Gavin didn’t have.

“Do you want to try those?” Nines asked, after he caught Gavin staring at a thirium-based ‘spicy noodles’ package.

Gavin looked away from it. “Nah. Don’t have the hardware updates for it. Or the software updates.”

“Maybe you can get that updated today?” Nines asked, tossing the noodles into the cart anyway.

“I just want my battery fixed today. If I can get the other stuff done later, that’d be fine with me.” Gavin grumbled.

“It was your battery that was damaged? I was assuming it was something to do with limbs. You kind of jerk every once in awhile. I didn’t realize it was so serious.” Nines said, watching him. He rubbed his hands, pulling his coat closed and zipping it up.

“Oh, yeah. It was a really tense situation. Guns were involved.” Gavin changed the subject. “What else in on the list?”

Nine’s eyes had gone glassy, having a far-away look as if he were trying to remember. Even with his coat zipped, he had begun to shiver and shake.

“Nines?” Gavin asked, nudging him.

“Oh, ummm…. I think I just need to grab a frozen meal or two and then we can head on out.” Nines jumped, pushing the cart toward to the frozen section.

_He’s starting to remember._ Gavin stared at Nine’s back. Sighing, Gavin started to jog to catch up. “Love you, jackass.”  
Nines’s grin was a megawatt one, and the shivers calmed. “Love you, too.”

Checking out, Gavin noticed that the coffee shop in the store was selling ‘Sparked thirium.’

“Hey, I’ll be right back.” Gavin smiled. “I’m gonna grab some thirium, do you want anything?”  
“There’s thirium here?” Nines asked, confused.

Gavin nodded. “Yeah, it’s being sold like coffee. I absolutely love the stuff.”

Nines nodded. “Sure. You know what I like.”

“Black coffee, no fun, nothing good in it. Got it.” Gavin quipped, flashing a harsh grin as Nines shoved him. “Don’t push me because you know I’m right.”

Nines rolled his eyes. “Go.”

Gavin smiled, dashing over and lining up. Gavin was the only one in line and he was able to quickly go through and grab his drink.

Walking over, Gavin handed Nines his coffee. Taking a sip of his thirium, Gavin relaxed a little as his power levels went up.

Nines nudged him with the cart. “Let’s go get you fixed.”

Gavin slumped into the passengers’ seat. “I’m going to go into low power mode until we get there.”

“OK.” Nines said, pulling out of the spot. “Sleep well, Gav.”

Gavin found himself back on the boat, reliving the night a few days before. Gavin could see Nines, and see Nine’s face. It was frozen. It was his service mask. _Please, I love you. Don’t. Don’t… Nines, please!_ The gun was raised, and the boom echoed in his ears.

Jerking awake, Gavin found Nines leaning over him, almost touching him. Jerking back, Gavin took a deep breath, panicked until he remembered where he was.

“You guys get nightmares now?” Nines asked, kneeling down on the car door frame he was standing in.

Gavin sat up, pushing Nines to the side as he did so. Hurt flashed in Nines eyes as he reached to hug Gavin, but Gavin pushed him away.

Gavin rubbed at his eyes, trying to shake the image of Nines holding a gun on him. “I guess so. I don’t remember updating anything, but I must’ve.”

Nines shrugged. “Is everything OK? You panicked pretty hard-core for a moment there.”

“Yeah, I’m good.” _No, no I’m not. I’m confused._  Swinging his legs out of the car, Gavin gently nudged Nines out of the way so he could stand. “Let’s go get me fixed.”  
 Nines stepped back. “I’ll take you in, then take stuff home and put it away. After that, I’ll come and get you. That work?”  
Gavin nodded. “Yep.”

Walking in with Nines, Gavin immediately felt several gazes land on them. “Um… Hi?” Gavin said, walking up to the counter where several receptionists were watching him.

“You’re GV200, right?” One young woman with multi-colored hair asked.

“Um… Am I going to be taken apart if I answer that I am?” Gavin said, looking around and feeling the gazes fall on him.

“God, no! You saved so many of us.” Multi stood. “My name is Carrie. Thank you so much. You saved me with your actions.”  
“Um… I wasn’t the only one who did it. It was a team effort.” Gavin said, blue flooding his cheeks.

“You need repairs, right? I’ve got orders to send you up to the tenth floor. That’s where Marie and Cy are waiting for you.” Carrie flashed a huge grin.

“Um… I just want to get fixed.” Gavin sighed. “Do I need to head up there to start repairs?”

“I think they have someone waiting for you, so I think you need to head up.” Carrie’s LED spun yellow. “I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable. I apologize.”

Gavin sighed, looking away from Carrie. “Where’s the elevator?”  
“Oh, just to your left and you’ll head up to the tenth floor. I’ll let them know you’re on your way.” Carrie offered a small smile. “Thank you, GV200.”  
“It’s Gavin, and you don’t have to thank me for doing my job.” Gavin saw Nine’s smile. “Shut it.”  
“I’m so, so proud of you, Gavin.” Nines said, reaching around and wrapping his arm around Gavin’s neck. Pulling him close, Nines pressed a kiss on his forehead. “And it’s hysterical to see you squirm under the accolades you rightfully deserve.”

Gavin shoved him away. “Go way. You need to get stuff home before it melts.”  
Nines cupped Gavin’s cheek, pain and worry flashing in his eyes. “You sure you don’t need me?”

“Bitch, you needed me. I’m the advanced person.” Gavin smiled as Nines snorted.

“Fine. Be safe, OK?” Nine’s voice was small, his smile was worried. “Have them call me if you need me, OK?”

“Sure.” Gavin smiled, trying to reassure Nines, as Nines walked out back to the car. Turning to the elevator, Gavin pressed the up button while he tried to ignore the gazes.

Slipping into the elevator, Gavin pressed the door close button before anyone else could get on with him. Not that there was anyone that he saw, but he didn’t want to chance a long ride with someone who was staring at him.

Hitting the tenth floor, Gavin drew in a deep breath to calm the rioting electricity in his nerves.

Stepping out of the elevator, he was greeted by two androids he recognized. “Ms. Marie. Ms. Cy. Hello.”  
They both turned and welcomed him with wide grins. “Detective Gavin. Welcome. And thank you.”  
“Um… I was here for repairs? Is there anything I need to do for them?” Gavin asked, staring at the floor as the tips of his ears went blue.  
“We need a damage list, and then we’ll start getting you fixed.” Cy smiled at him. “Don’t worry, it shouldn’t take long. Was there any other damage beyond your battery?”

“Um, no. I need to update but I can do that later.” Gavin said, glancing up. “So how long should it take? I need to let my ride know when to come and get me.

Both smiled. “We’ll do all the updates, and it should take about two hours. Does that work?”

“Sure. When can I get started?” Gavin asked, keeping his eyes on the ground. _Please don’t call me a hero again._

“We’ll take you back right now.” Marie turned and led Gavin and Cy to a smaller operating room, tricked out with all thing necessary. “Our best tech will be here in a few moments. However, I do want to talk to you for a little bit.”  
_Great._ “Yes, ma’am?” Gavin asked, holding himself ramrod straight and tall.

“I have a sister…or had a sister? God, this is confusing. Look, the man who ‘owned’ me was basically my father.  His daughter—my ‘sister’—caused me to deviate. Now, she’s stalking the shit out of me and I’m kind of afraid. What do I do?” Marie asked, watching Gavin’s face.  
Gavin relaxed for the first time since entering the building. “That’s not an issue. Restraining orders are not a problem, and I’m willing to bet anyone at my department would love to help you. If you’re uncomfortable with humans, I would suggest talking to Desiccative Hank Anderson. I can give you his information, if you’d like.”

Marie smiled. “Please, and thank you.”

Connecting, Gavin quickly gave her the details. “You’ll probably have to meet with Detective Hank’s partner. He’s human, but he’s a great guy. You don’t need to worry about many assholes in our group. Except maybe Gwen, but she can be easily avoided.”

“Thank you, Detective. I appreciate it.” Marie smiled. “I’ll feel better.”  
“Not a problem. Happy to help.” Pulling away, Gavin heard the elevator ding behind him. “Is that?” _Now, can I get fixed so I can get out of here so people stop staring at me??_

“The repairman, yes.” Cy smiled. “This is Lilianne. She should be easily able to put you back together, and make the improvements necessary.”

Gavin nodded, grateful. “Lead the way, Ms.”

Lilianne nodded. “Please follow me.”

The repair room was off to the side on the right side of the floor. Walking in, Lilianne nodded to a table. “You can put your clothes there and we’ll get you hooked up. You can conk out while we do this, and it might be easier if you’re not entirely aware for most of this.”

“Understood.” Stripping, Gavin tossed the clothes onto the table and walked over to where Lilianne had cables waiting.

“Not a clean soul, are we?” Lilianne smiled and winked. “Good think I’m not either.”

“My partner’s a neat freak. I think I started to be messy just to get under his skin.” Gavin grinned.

Lilianne rolled her eyes. “That seems like a dick move.”  
“Yeah. It is.” There was no remorse in Gavin’s tone. “He loves me, anyway.”  
“Then that’s all I guess we can ask.” Lilianne gently finished hooking up wires and checking readouts. “You’re really only had a 35% battery since six days ago?”  
“Yep! It sucks. Please, fix it. Except please leave the scar.” Gavin couldn’t move much, as he was hooked on the table. _I don’t want Nines to remember and think I was trying to hide it from him. He’d think I was trying to gaslight him._  
Lilianne glanced at Gavin from the corner of her eye, before shrugging and nodding. “I will. I’d suggest you go into low power mode. I’ll let you know when it’s safe to reboot.”  
Closing his eyes, Gavin slipped into  low power mode, and felt his body relax fully for the first time in six or so days.

Gavin was pulled out of his low power mode after what felt like an hour when Lilianne interfaced to wake him up. “Hey, you’re good. We’re done a little early. We called your contact when we realized it was going to be easier to fix you than we thought. He should be here soon. The only thing you need to know is that you didn’t charge all the way. I would suggest going through the rest of the day like normal, and then going into low power mode tonight to charge. That should also give the updates time to fully sink in.”  
Sitting up, Gavin blinked to find his eyes had been updated. “Wow, whole nine yards? Thank you.”  
“Not a problem. I even left the scar, though why you want it is beyond me.” Lilianne smiled, walking to the door. “I’ll give you some privacy to get dressed.

“Thank you.” Gavin called back, reaching and pulling on his pants when he heard Nine’s voice.

“Gavin? You good?” Nines called from outside the door.

“Yeah, come on in. I’m almost dressed.” Pulling on his socks and shoes, Gavin turned to grab his shirt when the door opened.

Nines smiled. “You look…..” Nine’s eyes zeroed in on the scar. He stopped talking.

Gavin smiled at him gently. “I look OK, don’t I?”

Nines snapped his gaze back up to Gavin. “You always do.” His voice was filled with panic and fear, and confusion. The shaking was nearly worse than Gavin had seen in the past two days.

Gavin smiled gently, pulling on the shirt and covering up the scar. “I’m ready to go home.” Walking over to Nines, Gavin wrapped his arm around Nine’s waist to steady and warm him. “Let’s go.”

The rest of the night was spent pretty much chill as the two hung out on the couch. However, as the night progressed Nines struggled with a headache that only seemed to get worse and worse. The shaking and shivering didn’t help.

“Do you want me to take you to the ER?” Gavin asked as Nines struggled to stand and begged Gavin to turn off the TV.

“No, I get migraines like this sometimes. I just need silence and darkness. And to be warm again.” Nines sighed. “I hate these fucking things.” Lurching toward the bedroom, Nines struggled to stand as Gavin turned off the TV and rushed to his side.

“Here, let me help.” Gavin whispered, wrapping an arm around Nines and herding him toward the bed. _Shit, Nines. Fuck, are you OK?_ Fear and rage rose in his gut. _How can you not be OK? Jesus, come on._

Lying Nines down, Gavin went and got a trash can to place on Nines’s side of the bed. “There’s a trash can if you need to get sick.”

Lying down beside him, Gavin gently rubbed at his shoulders, a little roughly. “Sleep now, gorgeous. I’ll see you when you wake up.”  
Nines murmured something incomprehensible—even to Gavin’s advanced ears—and soon his breathing evened out as he fell asleep.


	10. Chapter 10

Gavin remained awake for about fifteen minutes, allowing the new drowsiness update take over and lull him to sleep as well.

However, Gavin woke later to Nines sitting bolt upright in bed before turning to Gavin and lifting his shirt to expose the scar.

Gavin wasn’t entirely awake when Nines did this, but when Nines walked into the bathroom and shut the door only to start water, Gavin was awake enough to recognize the tactic. Nines hated to have anyone see him cry. So he’d often turn on the shower so he could cry without anyone knowing what was going on.

Stumbling out of bed, Gavin walked over and sat down with his back to the door. “Nines?”  
“Gavin, I’m so, so sorry. I didn’t know what to do.” Nines voice was hoarse, upset and just on the other side of the door. “I didn’t…. god, I’m the fucking worst.”  
Gavin’s heart broke, but some small part of him felt vindication. “Nines…..Open the door, please?”  
“Why? God, why did you save me? I did this to you. I am the worst friend, I know I hurt you.” Nines voice was broken, and his voice gave way to huge sobs.

_This isn’t what I wanted, but I need to know._ “Fuckign open the damn door, Nines. I need to see that you’re OK.”

No response, and Gavin had had enough. Kicking the door open, he found Nines in the tub, still clothed as he wept.

“Nines, why did you point me out?” Gavin asked rage filling his tone.

“I was scared that if I pointed to anyone else, they wouldn’t have the same reinforced steel structure. I knew your chances of survival were better than anyone else’s. I didn’t know what to do. They’d ordered us to look for DPD officers, and they told me if I didn’t cooperate that they’d kill Con. And I’m sorry, but he’s the only family I have left. I… I couldn’t…” Nines’ voice wavered flying wildly in pitch and tone as he panicked and relived the night. Slamming his forearm down on his razor, Nines hissed as he drew blood.

Gavin growled. “No hurting yourself, you idiot. I’m fucking enraged, but I still fucking love you. SO, listen up.” 

Kneeling down, Gavin gently put his hand on Nine’s shoulders, prying Nine’s head away from between his legs. “Look at me.” The warm water pelted Gavin’s arms, but he could feel the chill in Nines skin.  
Nines struggled against Gavin’s grasp, attempting to pull away from him. “I know you’re mad. I know. Just go. I’m not worth your time. Not after what I did to you.”’

Gavin felt his anger enflame. “Shouldn’t I get to decide that, asshole?”

Nines only response was to rock, tears falling harder.

Gavin snapped. “Yes, I’m angry as fuck that you pointed me out. Fuck you for doing that. That was not fucking cool. I hate that you did that to me, and I’m probably going to hold a grudge for a long time. Fuck you, FUCK you, fuck YOU.”

Nines didn’t respond, just stopped moving and nearly stopped breathing. Gavin scanned him, and found his pain receptors going nuts. At that moment, the fight and anger drained out of Gavin. _What am I doing? I don’t want to hurt him. I love him. Yes, I’m…kind of upset, but I just needed to get it out of my system._

Sighing, Gavin reached out, gentle this time. Nines jerked away, and Gavin gave him the space. Quietly, Gavin began to talk again.

“Nines, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have gone off like I just did.” Gavin reached up, hands gentle as he took Nine’s shoulders in his hands, turning Nines so he faced him. Nines tried to resist, but Gavin kept his hands gentle and firm. “I love you, and I understand your actions. You did it to protect your brother, to keep him alive. And that…that was the right thing to do. Am I still upset? Yes. Am I going to make you pay for it?  Yes, I’m going to make you pay for it with kittens.” Gavin heard a snort, and felt the atmosphere lighten slightly. “But I still love you, Nines. What I’m most angry about was your suicide attempt. It was an attempt, right?”

Nines sighed. “Yes…. No… God, I don’t fucking know. I hadn’t taken my anti-depressant, and I just didn’t want to be here anymore. Everything hit at once. I was alone. I’d lost you, Con. My job was gone. I didn’t have anything beyond Maziy and her kittens. I knew Con would come to get the things he leaves here and find her. He’d take care of her. So, I didn’t care if I made it to tomorrow and I wanted to be numb. That’s all I wanted. I got drunk. I just let fate decide. Didn’t you find my note?”

Gavin reached down, cupping Nine’s chin. “I found your phone, but I couldn’t bring myself to listen to the recordings. I… I couldn’t hear you in that much pain. You fucked up by shooting me, sure, but you fucked up worse by trying to end it. I need you here.” Reaching out, Gavin gently ran his hand over Nines’s cheek. “Come out from under the water, OK? We need to treat that cut on your arm. And change the bandages on your hands and feet since you got them wet. Com’on.”

Nines shuddered. “Are you sure? You have every right to hate me, to want me gone.”  
Gavin stood, and snapped the water off. “You’ve suffered enough. I love you, and I don’t hate you. I hate the situation. That wasn’t your fault, though. I’m sorry I implied otherwise.”

Reaching down, he pulled Nines out of the tub and stripped him of the soaking clothes. Gavin gently placed Nines on the edge of the tub and then pulled the band-aids from the medicine cabinet. Disinfecting the wound, Gavin gently smoothed the bandage over the wound. No words were spoken as the two men processed the situation. Changing the bandages on his hands and feet seemed to take forever as the two let their feelings stew between them, but was over in minutes in actuality.

Leading him to the bed, Gavin stripped before pulling Nines down into the bed and wrapping the covers around them.

Holding himself up with one arm, Gavin met Nines’s watery gaze. “Nines, I love you.”

Nines shook his head. “How could you? I hurt you so badly.”

Gavin smiled. “I know you did, but it wasn’t your choice. And I will always love you. It takes a lot more than a bullet to get rid of me. And I want you to be here with me, because there are so many things I want to do with you. And if you’re gone, I can’t do them with you. I want you to be there for when I make Lieutenant. I want you to be there when I spill flour all over the kitchen and have to laugh about it. I want you there for all the big and little things. So, you can’t ever, and I mean EVER, try to do what you did again.” Gavin felt tears rolling down his cheeks. “Don’t you know how much you mean to me? I don’t know what I’d do without you. Hell, do you know what you mean to the others? Why Nines? Why did you try to die?”

Nines’ eyes filled and spilled over. “I just didn’t want to be here anymore, that what I did to you deserved… something. I thought I’d killed you, Gavin. I gave myself the same chance I knew you had. I figured if I died, it didn’t matter.”

Gavin reached out, clutched Nines to him. “It does matter. I want you around.”

Nines continued, as if he hadn’t heard Gavin. “Fate would decide. I did what I did to protect Connor, but when I went to ask him for help, he turned me away. He said we were no longer brothers, that he was ashamed of me. We’d fought before, but this was different. He told me I was the worst person, harming people. He said he wished I would just die before I embarrassed him further. How could he hold his head up knowing he was related to me? And he was right. How could he?” Nines tried to turn away, to hide the tears, but Gavin simply held onto him as he spoke.

“No, no he wasn’t right. Nines, he was so, so scared when we found you. We love you, and always will. And I… I forgive you.” Gavin gently wrapped his arms around Nines, holding him while they shed the tears that had been so necessary for the two of them to heal.

After the tears had subsided somewhat, Nines reached for Gavin hesitantly, waiting for Gavin to push him away. Gavin dove onto his chest, and whispered “I love you.”

“Gavin?” Nines asked, voice hoarse and soft.

“Hmm?” Gavin asked, glancing up.

“How can you love someone who hurt you that way?” Nines asked, not meeting his gaze.

He sat up, looking down at his partner. “The same way I always have, Nines. Fully.”

Nine’s eyes darted to Gavin, watery and red. “I am so, so sorry Gavin.” Reaching toward Gavin’s stomach, Nines stopped short before pulling back. “I don’t know how to make it up to you.”

Gavin reached up, bringing Nine’s hand to his scar. “Easily. Never try to die on me again. I want you here. No matter what.”

Nines pressed his hand into Gavin’s side. “I…some of the people I shot at might associate you with me. Are you going to be OK with that? I don’t want you to be ostracized.”

Gavin snorted. “When, in the time you have known me, have I ever been social? It’s you…yeah, basically just you. Fuck others, I’ll stay inside. Thank you very much.”

Nines’s scared smile melted Gavin’s heart. “You would.”

“Yep. It’s you and me, asshole. You don’t get to get rid of me now.” Straddling Nines, Gavin leaned down, pressing kisses along Nines’s neck. “I love you, it wasn’t your fault, and I forgive you.”

Nines’s blush spread across his body as he wrapped one arm around Gavin’s shoulders to cup his head and another reached down to pull Gavin flush from stomach up. “I do love you. I swear.”  
“Oh, Nines, I know.” Pressing a final kiss to Nine’s lips, Gavin rolled off of him. Curling up against Nine’s back, Gavin dispelled the lingering chill from Nines’s body where skin met skin. “But you need to sleep, and then we can figure out everything else in the morning.”

Nines’s body relaxed, and he pulled Gavin down to his side. “Promise me you’ll be here in the morning?”  
Gavin laughed. “I’ll be in the apartment, but I’m going to be probably holding the kittens.”

Nines mumbled against his shoulder, holding tightly. “Goodnight.”

“Night.” Gavin felt Nines shy smile as he drifted off.

Closing his eyes, Gavin laid down next to Nines, holding tight. “My fucking moron.”

Sleep took Gavin, and he woke up the next morning still wrapped around Nines.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is adult content or, as many of us call it, smut. HEED THE TAGS and don't read the stuff between the asterisks if you don't want to read it. I'll leave a ********(Stop reading here)************** and a **************(It's safe again*************** if you want to scroll past that.
> 
> Thanks for reading, and let me know what I could do better in the comments. :-)

Nines was starting to rouse. “Gav?” Panicking, he sat up until he noticed Gavin’s arm around his middle. Blushing, he looked away.

Gavin sat up, pulling Nines to him. “Hi. I’m still here.”

“Hi. Are you sure?” Nines asked.

“Sure about what?” Gavin asked, confused.

“About us. I get that you might be kind of ashamed of me… lord knows Con is sometimes.” Nines stared out the window.  
“Yeah, well, Connor is an idiot. Like, seriously. He looks for validation from everyone else. Look at how he started to feel like Hank was his dad. Hank gave him validation. Since you don’t look for validation from others, you don’t unnecessarily get attached. You’re smarter by default, gorgeous.” Gavin tilted Nines down, kissing him hard.

Hope rose in Nines eyes. “If you’re totally sure, would you mind if we just hung out at home today?”

Gavin smiled, and nodded. “If you’re sure, would you mind spending most of the day in bed?”

Nines blushed. “I wasn’t sure if you wanted to. I didn’t want to push it.

Gavin grinned, pulling Nines down on top of him. Fire and arousal flew into Nines eyes as Gavin spoke. “I want you, and it’s not pushing it. I’ve wanted you for close to two years now. Spending the day in bed sounds like a plan to me.”

Nines grabbed Gavin, pressing his lips to tips of Gavin’s ears, causing him to blush. Seeing that, Nines pulled back slightly. “Are you sure you want to do this? I know you’re still new to being touched.”

 Skin warmed from sleep transitioned warmed as joy and want rose in his chest. “Yes.”

Unwrapping the thick bandages around his hands, Nines smiled. “Good thing I can take these off now.”

“Are you sure? That seems like a bad idea.” Gavin said, reaching out for his hand. It had gotten better since the last time he’d seen them, skin returning to its normal color except in a few patches along the top of his hand.

“I’m sure.” Nines grin flashed.

**************************(Stop reading if you don't want to read the adult content TM.)*********************************************

Lust warmed them further as Nines ran his hand over Gavin’s chest.

Gavin let out a squeak, unprepared for the contact. “I…”

“That was cute.” Nines whispered, the mood washing over him. “I wanna see if I can get you to do it again.” Pressing against Gavin, Nines held him tightly, running his hands over Gavin. “I’ve wanted to do this for so long.”

Gavin stuttered, blushing. “I….I want you, too.” Moaning, Gavin grasped at Nines’s hands, overheating slightly as he stopped breathing for a moment.

“Easy, Gavin. Breathe, gorgeous.” Nines paused, turning Gavin’s head toward him so he could press his forehead to Gavin’s.

Gavin took in air, desperate. “Nines, don’t stop,” Gavin whined as Nines held him gently.

“I won’t, don’t stop breathing, goof.” Nines ran his hands down further, reaching to grasp Gavin in his hand. Gavin slid down into Nines’s lap, head against the line between Nines’s chest and stomach

Nines reached for the bedside table, pulling the drawer open with a little too much force and almost pulling the knob off. He kept his hand on Gavin, keeping his motion smooth and steady as he dug with the other hand for what he was looking for.

Pulling out the lube, Nines popped the cap off with one hand before releasing Gavin to pour lube into his hand as he watched Gavin’s face flush “Nines!”

Nines let out a low, evil laugh as Gavin whimpered hard.  Reaching out with his now slick hand, Nines gently took Gavin back into his hand and resumed the steady rhythm. “God, you’re sensitive.” He dropped the lube to the side as Gavin writhed on his chest.  
“No shit, sherlock. Keep going!” Gavin pressed back against Nines.

Nines smiled, gently holding Gavin as he stroked his cock. “Does it feel good?”

Gavin pressed against Nines’s hand. “Nope. Not at all.” Gavin’s voice was the furthest thing from convincing and he moaned as Nines kissed the side of his head.

“Really? Maybe I should stop, then.” Nines laughed as Gavin grabbed at Nine’s wrist, held it down so he wouldn’t let go. “I take it I shouldn’t, then?”

Moaning, Gavin pressed his head back against Nines. “Don’t…. Don’t stop.”

Nines tilted Gavin’s head toward him, kissing him as he picked up the pace. “OK, baby. I’ve got you.”

Grasping, Nines held tight and quickened his movements as Gavin rutted against him. “God, you’re so good.”

Soon, Gavin let out a gasp. “Ni!” He cut himself off, gasping as he came.

Nines continued to stroke him, this time with a calming touch. “Easy, easy. It’s OK. I’ve got you.”

Gavin took a breath and turned to Nines. “I want more.”  
“Good thing we planned on staying in bed all day, then, isn’t it?” Nine’s smirk vanished as Gavin sank down onto his lap. “Wait…”

Gavin pressed a kiss gently to the top of Nine’s cock. “Why? We’ve got all day. Shouldn’t waste a second of it.”

“Y…yeah…but… I thought we’d…” Nines couldn’t finish the sentence as Gavin took Nines fully in his mouth.  
Gavin smirked, watching Nine’s face flush hard. Nines tried to cut off a moan, and Gavin’s response was to simply kiss his way up Nine’s shaft. “Don’t silence yourself.”

Nines’s blush climbed to a darker red. “I thought you didn’t have much experience with this. How are you already so good?”

Gavin grinned. “ Awww, are we embarrassed? Nines, Fantasies don’t cost much. Neither does porn.”  

Nines laughed. “Why did I expect anything different?”

_I’m so glad you’re still here to laugh with me._ “I don’t know.” Gavin smiled, and leaned back down. Pulling Nines into his mouth, he sucked hard and had Nines moaning.

A few minutes went by, marked only by Nine’s moans. Suddenly, Nines reached down and pulled Gavin flush with his chest, kissing him as he maneuvered the two of them so Gavin lay with Nines on top of him.

Breaking the kiss and pulling back so they weren’t flush anymore, Nines asked “Do you want to keep going?” His chest heaved, with the effort of breaking the skin to skin contact to give Gavin a choice.

Pulling Nines against him, Gavin reached between the two of them to stroke Nines. “I want you.”

Nines’s pupils were blown wide with lust. “I love you.”

Gavin grinned. “As you should.”

Nines had no response to that, instead reaching for the lube he’d dropped next to them, he coated his fingers before slipping one inside Gavin.

Gavin pressed his forehead against Nine’s neck. “Mmn.” His arms went around Nine’s neck, holding him close.

“You OK?” Nine’s voice was soft.  
“Yeah. Just new, that’s all.” Gavin blushed as Nines laughed. “Hey, asshole, I know I’m new at this. No need to rub it in.”  
Nine’s laughter cut off immediately. “I laughed because the situation hit me.  I finally get to have you. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it that way.” Sliding his other hand from it’s spot on Gavin’s thigh, Nines cupped Gavin’s head and kissed him. “I didn’t’ mean to make you self-conscious.”

Gavin sighed, and moved impatiently against the finger lodged in him. “OK, fine, but move a little faster, will you?”  
Nines smiled, slipping another finger. “OK.” Then, Nines gently brushed against Gavin’s prostate. “I can do that.”  
Gavin arched, pressing down on Nine’s hands. “Nines!”

Nines carefully slid in another finger, before pulling them out gently. Gavin nearly jerked upright, grabbing Nines’s ass and pulling him toward him. “Niiinnnnesss!”

Nines kissed him, pouring more lube out and quickly coating himself. “I need a verbal confirmation. I want you. Do you want…”

“Yes!” Gavin reached out, pulling Nines to him. “Inside me. I want you.”

“OK. But we’re going to go slower, OK? I want you to tell me if you need me to stop.” Nines grabbed Gavin’s hands, pulled them around his neck. Reaching up, he caught Gavin’s chin and used the leverage to meet Gavin’s eyes. “Promise me you’ll tell me if you need to stop or slow down.” Nines eyes were serious, fire banked behind them as he held Gavin close. “I don’t want to hurt you.”

“I promise.” Gavin said, eyes steady on Nines. “I will tell you if I need you to stop or slow down.”

Lining himself up, Nines pressed the first half-inch in.

Gavin moaned, clenched around him. _Shoot. Why am I suddenly panicking?_ Gavin clenched tighter, trying to fight the attack.

“God, baby, you’re so tight. It’s OK. Relax.” Nines whispered, pressing kisses along Gavin’s jaw.

Gain took a deep breath and did his best to relax. “Give me a moment.”  
“OK. You know you’re gorgeous, right? I’m so glad I have you with me.” Nines hands were gentle as he ran them through Gavin’s hair.

Slowly, Nines’s words calmed Gavin. “OK. Keep going.”

Pressing in slowly, Nines watched Gavin’s face.

Gavin smiled, and reached up to pull Nines down for a kiss. “I’m OK.”

Slowly, Nines fully entered Gavin until he was seated fully. “You feel so good.”  
Gavin shuddered around him, feeling full and realizing he was hard again. “Nines. Move!”

Saying nothing, Nines pulled out and pressed back in, causing Gavin to cry out.

“Gav?” Nines asked, pausing.

“Keep going.” Reaching around, Gavin pulled Nines back to him.

Nines thrust back in, aiming for Gavin’s prostate and hitting it as he thrust.

Nines groaned as he felt Gavin tighten around him.  “Gavin.”

Nines reached between them, gently ran his hands along Gavin’s chest, pausing at his nipples to brush over them.

Gavin nearly screamed, clenching hard around Nines as he did so.

“Hmm.” Doing it again, Nines got the same response. “Oh, baby.”

“RA9, do that again.”  Gavin begged, pressing against Nines hand.

Saying nothing, Nines reached down and took Gavin in his hand, pumping him as he ran his other thumb over Gavin’s nipple while kissing him.

Gavin came, clenching hard on Nines, causing him to come. After a few moments, Nines nearly collapsed on Gavin.

Gavin laughed, rolling Nines next to him on the bed.

After a few moments of silence, Nines reached for Gavin and pulled his back against his chest. “Did you hate it?”

“Absolutely, we shouldn’t do that anytime we can, or every fifteen minutes, whichever comes first.” Gavin’s snarky tone caused Nines to laugh.

“Oh. OK.” Pressing his nose into Gavin’s hair, Nines relaxed fully. “I love you.”  
“Love you too but will deny it whenever anyone but you asks me.” Gavin said, smiling.

**********************(It's safe to read again after this line..)************************************************

Snorting, Nines sat up. “We need to shower, change the sheets. Then I’m going to punch my brother.”

Gavin reared back, laughing. “One of these things is not like the others, one of these things does not belong.”

Nines stood, offering up his hand. “He earned it.”

“I’m not saying don’t do it, I’m saying let me film. We can relive it later.” Gavin said, taking his hand. Nines pulled Gavin up, and supported him when he wobbled a bit.

“Aren’t you always filming?” Nines asked, then rolled his eyes as Gavin flipped him off. “Fine, but no posting it to YouTube.” Nines grumbled.

In short order, the two were clean and dressed, while the sheets had been stripped from the bed and tossed in the washer.

Sitting in the kitchen, Gavin watched Nines as he cooked. “So, why are you gonna punch your brother?”

Nines glanced back. “What he said.”

Gavin nodded. “Makes sense, but I’d say limit it to one punch.”

“Mmmm…. I get to decide that.” Nines said, stiffening slightly.

“Nines, I’m not defending him. I’m not. What he said was wrong. Wholly, totally wrong. But you won’t feel better by beating up your brother.” Gavin walked over, wrapping his arms around Nine’s middle.

Sighing, Nines shook his head. “I’ll only punch him once. It’s how we’ve gotten along this far.”

“OK. Fine. I said what I wanted. I’m still gonna film it.” Gavin said, releasing Nines and leaning against the counter.

Nines smiled. “He should be over after work. I hope it isn’t too awful right now.”

“I mean, I think you would’ve been called in suspension or not if it had been. It’s probably fine.” Gavin nudged Nines with his shoulder.

Nines smiled, and nodded. “You’re right.”

Sitting down, Gavin reached for Nines. “Snuggle with me.”

Nines sat down, awkwardly. “If you’re sure…”

Gavin grabbed him, laid down while pulling Nines to his chest. “I am, and I want to be around you.”

“OK.” Nines whispered. “OK.”

That was all that was needed to wipe away the rest of the tension. The rest of the day passed with Nines and Gavin playing with the kittens and watching mindless TV while they happily snuggled together.

After about six p.m., a knock on the door had Gavin watching from the edge of the couch as Nines let Connor and Hank in.

“Hi.” Nines stepped aside, letting the two past him.

Connor started to walk over to Gavin. “How are you?”  
Gavin smiled. “Oh, I’m great.”

“Huh. So what’s up?” Connor asked, eyebrow raised.

“I remembered everything.” Nine’s staid tone had Connor turning.

Gavin could see tears gathering in Connor’s eyes. “Nines… I’m…”

Nines grabbed him by the collar, and pulled him out to an open space. Then slamming his fist on Connor’s jaw. “Asshole.”

Connor didn’t make a move to defend himself, even though he could see the punch coming. He dropped, and stayed on the ground, tears falling. “I’m sorry! I never, ever meant for what happened to happen. I was tired and stupid and I never… I nearly lost you, Nines!”

Sighing, Nines sat down next to Connor, and pulled him into a tight hug. “I was so scared, Con. I needed you. Please, don’t ever turn away from me again.

Connor grasped Nines, holding tight. “Don’t try to die ever again, and I promise I won’t!”

Nines held just as tight to his twin. “I won’t.”

After a few moments, neither brother was clutching the other like a life line.

“Now that that’s over, I want to watch you and Gavin fight over kittens.” Nines said, obviously trying to lighten the mood, and then laughed when Connor jolted to his feet to try and beat Gavin in a foot race to the laundry room.

“They won’t be ready for another couple of weeks. You can stop now.” Nines called as Gavin and Connor gently took the cat bed by the corners and carried it into the living room.

“These little things are so sweet.” Connor said, handling the gray baby after having placed the entire kit and kaboodle on the ground in the living room and dropped down next to it. “Did you guys ever nail down names?”

Nines shook his head, as he stood  in the door way between kitchen and living room. “Mmmm. Gavin hasn’t picked out his two babies, so not yet. I don’t want to name them and then get attached.”

Connor smirked at Nines. “You’re going to get attached anyway. Face it.”

Nines flipped Connor off. “Shut it. Do you have any idea which one you want?”

“Um…. I’m torn as heck.” Picking up one of the fire-point babies, Gavin gently rubbed its belly. “I love this little girl, but I also love this little black baby.”

“Ohhh… Halloween babies.” Gavin said, placing them side by side on the floor. They wiggled, and then curled up into a ball together.

“Oohhhh…. Midnight and Bonfire. Fire and Night for short.” Con said, picking up the kittens.

“Little cliché, don’t you think?” Nines asked, only to slowly back into the kitchen as Gavin and Connor glared at him. “I don’t exist. Ignore me.”

Hank laughed. “I do like those two. Do you think Sumo will be OK with them?”

Connor blinked. “Oh….yeah…. I have no idea how he’ll react.  We kept the separated when we had them at the house. He’s a gentle giant normally, but encroach on his territory and I’m not sure what will happen.”

“Why not get him used to the kittens? Bring him over, and we’ll let him meet them.” Nines said, emerging from the kitchen.

“That’s a great idea. Do you mind if we do it tonight? It shouldn’t take us super long to get home and back. WE can spring for food, if you want?” Connor said, eyeing Nines as he slowly grinned. “I take that as a yes?”  
“Heck yeah. Pick up Italian, and I will forgive you everything. Bonus sibling points if you get me chicken parmesan from the one Italian place down on Second.” Nines grinned, as Connor smiled recognizing the olive branch.

“Sibling points are useless, but sure, I can do that. I might order it on delivery and just meet you back here if you want.” Connor smiled as Nines nodded. Connor stood, gently placing the kittens back on the cat bed. “We’ll be back in like an hour.”

Nines smiled. “Door will be unlocked, we’ll be watching a show or something.”  
“How about _Death Parade_? Connor mentioned it, and it sounds interesting.”  Gavin asked, watching Connor grin.

“That sounds good. Nines? You’ve been after me forever to watch it.” Connor smiled as Nines was already digging through his media center.

Nines pulled it out, placing it next to the player. “Go, and I’ll get you to cry when you get to the end of the show.” Grinning evilly, Nines ushered Connor to the door, handed him his jacket and waved. “See you in an hour.”

Hank sighed and stood. “Well, it’s good to see you two getting along, even if you two are back to being complete opposites.” Turning he followed Connor and shut the door behind him.

Nines and Gavin sat down on the couch, cuddling together.

“Feel better?” Gavin asked, nudging Nines gently.

“Yeah. I got it out of my system.” Nines pressed a kiss to the side of Gavin’s nose.

“Good.” Wrapping his arms around Nines, Gavin snuggled closer, relaxing into Nine’s grasp.

The rest of the night passed quickly with Connor and Hank getting back within the hour and the time with them spent as they watched the show.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading. :-)

The next week flew by as Gavin and Nines spent most of it doing as little as possible while being together.   Soon, the time came when the two of them needed to report back to work.

“You nervous?” Gavin asked Nines that night, as they tried to fall asleep.

“Nah. It’ll be fine.” Nines sounded confident, but the slight waver gave him away. That, and the moment when his heart rate kicked up.

“Liar. You’re nervous.” Gavin gently rubbed his thumb along Nines cheek. “It’ll be OK.”

“I… I’m just worried about the other androids. They have every right to be angry.” Nines sighed, folding an arm under his pillow and leaning into Gavin’s touch.

“I’ll stick by you either way.” Gavin said. “But I doubt they’ll be too angry. I think most of them know about what happened with Perkins.”

“I hope so.” Yawning, Nines closed his eyes. “Night.”

“Night, Nines.” Brushing his hand through Nine’s hair, Gavin closed his eyes and went into low power mode.

Waking up, Gavin smiled at Nine’s empty side of the bed. Standing, he walked into the bathroom, kicking off his boxers and stepping in the shower. “Hi.”  
“Mmm.” Nines grumbled, rubbing his hands through his hair.

“No coffee yet?” Gavin asked, smirking when Nines gave him a sleepy glare.

“Got it. Will go make you some.” Gavin stepped out of the shower, shook off and quickly threw on a ‘professional’ outfit before walking out into the kitchen and starting coffee for Nines and charged thirium for himself. 

Nines walked out a few moments later, pressed and perfect.

Gavin let out a wolf whistle, causing Nines to reach blindly for the coffee.

“Not before coffee.” Nines took the carafe and poured himself a cup. Downing it, he then poured a second cup and third cup into a travel thermos while tapping his fingers along the counter top. “Come on. We’re gonna be late.”

Reaching for his keys, Nines found Gavin wrapped around him. “What? We need to go.”

“I need you to look at me and listen for a moment, OK?” Gavin pulled Nines to stand in front of him.

“Okay, but  hurry. We’re going to be late if the traffic is bad as it is.” Nines tapped his fingers on his forearm.

“Nines. It doesn’t matter what happens today. You were innocent, ordered to do what you did. I was the one you shot, and I forgive you. You did what you had to to protect your brother. The other won’t be mad.” Gavin said voice stern, watching Nines fidget and move.

“I… OK.” Reaching out, Nines then dropped his arms. “We should go.”

Gavin hugged Nines, pressing into his back. “You’re right, we should.” Releasing him, Gavin poked his tongue out at Nines. “What are you waiting for? Let’s go.” Smirking, Nines opened the door, and led the way out.

Gavin followed after closing the front door. Reaching out, he took Nines hand in his and walked with him to the car.

The traffic wasn’t bad, and they ended up at work fifteen minutes early.

Captain Stern waved them over. “Anderson. Gavin. A word, if you please.”

“Why do I feel like I forgot to do an assignment?” Nines mumbled to Gavin under his breath.

Gavin shrugged, and they walked into Captain Stern’s office, which immediately frosted over.

“Shit, what did we do?” Nines asked, taking a seat across from Captain Stern.

“Well, It’s more of what you two were forced to do, and a few questions. One, Gavin do you wish to remain partners with Nines?”

“Yeah.” Gavin tilted his head. “Of course.”

“OK. Nines, do you want to stay partners with Gavin?” Captain Stern asked, watching Nines carefully.

“Of course.” Nines answered.

“OK, good. I know that Perkins did a number on you two, but he’s currently under investigation. He will be tried after this is all over. It was found that he was deviant, but disliked others being so as well. Just as a warning, you two will be examined at his hearing. So you two need to be prepared. However, given that you both want ot remain partners, I’m going to assume that you two can handle it.” Captain Stern stood, defrosting her office. “On an unofficial note, Nines, you ever scare us like you did a week ago and I will have your ass on archive clean-up duty until I feel that you’ve learned your lesson, kid. You are not allowed to do that again.”  
“Yeah, Nines!” Gavin grinned as Nines threw him a glare.

“Understood.” Standing, Nines looked to Captain Stern. “Anything else?”

Reaching out, Captain Stern quickly side-hugged Nines. “Welcome back, you idiot. Get to work, you two.”

Nines smiled, and nodded. “Will do.”

“Rodger.” Gavin said, giving a mocking salute.

Walking to their desk, Gavin could feel the stares of multiple people. Watching Nines, Gavin knew he could feel it. Others who didn’t know him would assume he was fine, but the sweat under his collar gave him away.

Sitting down at their desks, Gavin and Nines were approached as they started to work on a case. Tina, Chris, Hank, and all the other deviant androids came forward.

 “Nines, we want to tell you that we know you didn’t have a choice but to fire at us.” Tina said, reaching out. “And that we’re not angry or holding a grudge against you.”

“You were in an impossible situation, and if Gavin’s forgiven you, we can.” Chris said, smiling. “So don’t worry about it.”

Hank merely smiled. “Anyway, you were starting to sweat so we decided to say something now.”

Nines blushed. “I truly am sorry, I never wanted to do that.”

“You don’t need to apologize. We know. But we all need to get back to work now, anyway.” Kim said, turning back to the front.

The group disbanded as fast as it had arisen, androids returning to their stations and desk.

Nines sat back in his chair. “Work hasn’t even started and I’m tired.”

Gavin laughed. “Don’t worry, I’ll get you through it. You’re stuck with me, now and forever. Both here and at home. You ready for that?”  
Nines smiled at Gavin from across his desk. “Born ready.”


End file.
